This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The condition of a Hurricane man shot in a trailer park altercation improved on Thursday, two days after his alleged assailant was arrested and eventually charged with attempted murder.
Hurricane police spokeswoman Nancy Perkins indicated Thursday that the 48-year-old man, whose identity was still being withheld, was expected to recover, though he remained listed as critical at the University Trauma Unit in Las Vegas.
"The shooting victim's condition has improved enough that he is able to speak with investigators," Perkins said
On Wednesday, Craig Manwill Bennett Jr., 31, was charged in 5th District Court with one count of first-degree felony attempted murder. Bennett, a transient, was declared indigent and assigned a public defender. A scheduling hearing was set for Monday.
Bennett was being held in the Washington County jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.
Court documents alleged that Bennett approached the victim just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday night and made several threats.
Bennett then obtained a shotgun and shot the other man, who suffered several wounds, court documents state.
Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots and also saw Bennett "attempting to get back into the victim's home using a shotgun," court documents state.
Police found the victim inside his trailer.