Scott D. Pierce
Paighten HarkinsA man who reportedly shot and critically wounded one person early Wednesday and then shot at police — and missed — has been arrested.
An officer was in the area of 7200 South and 300 West in Midvale about 2:30 a.m. on an unrelated call, when he was told there had been a shooting at the nearby Motel 6. When the officer investigated, a man — later identified as 56-year-old Michael Burke — fled from the hotel, and the officer ran after him, according to a spokeswoman for the Unified Police Department.
In a nearby parking lot, Burke reportedly fired two shots at the officer, who was not hit and did not return fire, according to police. Burke fled again, but was located shortly thereafter and arrested by members of the SWAT team in the area on an unrelated call.
Burke told police that he fired at them because he wanted them to stop chasing him, according to the probable cause statement.
The 32-year-old shooting victim, whose name has not been released, was hit in the head and chest and was reported to be in critical condition.
Once in custody, Burke told police that he shot the victim because that person had accused him of raping someone, according to his probable cause statement.
“Burke stated that he should have unloaded his clip into [the victim],” the statement reads.
The statement also says that Burke admitted to recent bank robberies.
He was booked into Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of multiple felonies, included aggravated assault, robbery and discharge of a firearm.
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.