Magna man charged with killing victim at a barbecue

A Magna man has been charged with killing another man at a backyard barbecue — shooting the victim to death the moment he arrived.

Juan Alvarez, 44, has been charged in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and two counts of aggravated assault, third-degree felonies.

According to the charges, Alvarez was at a barbecue at a home near 8300 W. Westbury Drive on May 28 when he was overheard arguing on the phone with someone, later identified as Omar Gomez-Salazar. Gomez-Salazar, 28, came to the home and, according to witnesses, Alvarez shot him as soon as he got out of the car, then walked over and kicked him before walking away.

When officers arrived, Gomez-Salazar was dead, bleeding from his face.

The shooting was captured on doorbell camera video, according to police, and it shows Alvarez then walking toward the car, raise the gun again and attempt to fire at two occupants of the vehicle as they fled. The gun did not fire, but the doorbell camera “picked up clicking of the trigger being pulled” as Alvarez pointed the gun at the two people in the car.

Alvarez fled, and was apprehended the next morning in Millard County — about 150 miles from Magna — after police deployed spike strips when he refused to pull his vehicle over.

According to police, when Alvarez was arrested he had “what appeared to be blood on his shoe consistent with kicking Omar after he shot him.” The gun used in the shooting has not been found.

Alvarez was booked into the Salt Lake County jail, where he is being held without bail.