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WEST VALLEY CITY — A 29-year-old New York man was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound in the parking lot of a West Valley apartment complex on Tuesday, according to police.
Just after 9:30 p.m., police responded to a parking lot near 3300 South and 1200 West. Officers were "flagged down" and led to the southeast corner of the complex where they found a deceased man in the parking lot, said West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merritt. He said multiple witnesses reported hearing a commotion but weren't sure what was happening.
Police say the victim is from New York and was visiting someone at the apartment complex. His name was not immediately released pending notification of his family. The man had been in Utah for a couple of days, according to police, and had left his friend's apartment to run an errand at the time he was shot.
Despite the victim being from out of state, West Valley police stated Wednesday that, "Evidence gathered so far indicates this was a targeted incident."
A possible motive for the shooting was not revealed Wednesday.
"The people that live in the area have no need to fear," Merritt said. "There is not somebody randomly going around and hurting people."
Anyone with information on the incident can call police at 801-840-4000.
Contributing: Pat Reavy
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly identified West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merrill as Bill Martin.
