This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake City police said Thursday they are looking for a man who is a suspect in the shooting death earlier this year of 24-year-old Christian Lance McDonald in Sugar House.
The suspect, Eric Eugene Burwell, is a 36-year-old white male, 5-foot-9, 250 to 300 pounds, with black hair or possibly a shaved head and dark eyes.
Burwell is considered armed and dangerous and police say no one should approach him.
No details about his alleged role in McDonald's slaying have been released.
To share information about this case, call the Salt Lake City Police Department at 801-799-3000. To remain anonymous, text the keyword TIPSLCPD plus any relevant information to 274637 and reference case #15-13711.
McDonald, 24, was found lying in the park strip alongside the street at 1224 E. Parkway Avenue on Jan. 24 with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Another man, Jeremiah Ray Hart, 42, also went to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound, where he contacted police. He was later released.
Then, on Feb. 19, a Salt Lake City officer pulled Hart over and arrested him on suspicion of killing McDonald.
Investigators have said that Hart allegedly robbed McDonald, and they allegedly shot each other. Police say the two men were acquaintances.
When the officer searched Hart, he allegedly found a glass pipe with a substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and a pistol in the glove box.
No one has been charged in McDonald's death.
Hart was charged April 30 in 3rd District Court with possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and possession or use of a controlled substance, which are second- and third-degree felonies, respectively. He was also charged with possession or use of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.
Because Hart is a convicted felon and was on parole at the time of his February arrest, he was returned to the Utah State Prison on a parole violation.
Hart's wife, 22-year-old Daisy Hart, was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice in the shooting case for allegedly giving false information to police, but has not been formally charged.
Burwell, who appears in Utah court records with the middle names Eugene and Michael, has a criminal record stretching back to 1997, which includes domestic violence-related assault, as well as felony convictions for drug distribution, theft and attempted possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC