Paighten Harkins
Kelly Cannon-O'DayA 19-year-old has been charged with murder after allegedly fatally shooting a man point blank with a shotgun Thursday at an Orem apartment complex near Utah Valley University.
Elbert Paule turned himself into police Saturday morning after running away from the Parkway Lofts, 1225 W. 1000 South, on Thursday evening. While charging documents filed Saturday in 4th District Court don’t elaborate on why 26-year-old Dominique Barnett was shot, it describes the moments just before and after the shooting.
The documents allege Barnett went to visit Paule at his apartment in the complex around 8 p.m., and when he knocked on the door, Paule “without warning” opened it and shot Barnett with a 12 gauge shotgun. Police allege Paule threw the shotgun off the balcony before running away.
A witness inside the apartment told police that just before Paule opened the door, he peeked through the peephole and yelled, “Ah, hell no!” Before leaving the complex, a witness told police that Paule said he shot Barnett and used a racial slur, according to the documents.
Barnett was taken to the hospital and declared dead about an hour after he was shot. An autopsy shows he bled to death from the shotgun blast, according to court documents.
Police had been searching for Paule since Thursday evening, offering a reward for his capture, although he turned himself in Saturday morning.
The suspect in the shooting, Elbert Paule, has turned himself in and is in custody. More information will be put out on the situation when it becomes available. @OremDPS
— Orem Police Dept. (@OremDPS) March 2, 2019
About 38 minutes after the shooting, UVU officials warned students to take shelter and stay where they were about. That order was in place until just before 11 p.m. Thursday.
If convicted of murder, a first-degree felony, Paule could spend 15 years to life in prison.
Paighten is an Enterprise reporter at The Salt Lake Tribune. She covers a variety of topics, including business, health, growth and the legal justice system — sometimes all at once. She is from southern Oklahoma, and lived and worked in the state, most recently at the Tulsa World, before starting at The Tribune in October 2017.
Kelly is the Community Engagement Editor at The Tribune. She graduated from Utah Valley University and is earning a Master's of Theology at Gonzaga University. She and her husband are the favorite aunt/uncle to 10 nieces and nephews.