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Pro bull rider from Texas killed in Salt Lake City shooting, police say

The 27-year-old competed at the Utah State Fair hours before he was shot.

(Matt Breneman | Bull Stock Media) Professional bull rider Demetrius Allen, better known as "Ouncie Mitchell," is shown at the Dirt Carpet during the second round of the Unleash The Beast Los Angeles PBR in this undated photo. Police said Allen was fatally shot early Monday after competing at the Utah State Fair.

  | Sep. 12, 2022, 5:05 p.m.
| Updated: 9:44 p.m.

Police are investigating a domestic violence-related shooting in the Central Ninth neighborhood that left a 27-year-old professional bull rider dead just after midnight on Monday.

The Salt Lake City Police Department said in a news release Monday morning that Demetrius Omar Lateef Allen was fatally shot during a dispute with a 21-year-old woman that police said he was in a relationship with.

Allen was better known as bull rider “Ouncie Mitchell,” Professional Bull Riders CEO Sean Gleason shared Monday. He was from Houston, Texas.

“Ouncie got his name because he was born small,” Gleason said. “He grew up to compete with a huge heart. The PBR organization sincerely extends our own heartfelt condolences to Ouncie’s cousin Ezekiel Mitchell and the entire Mitchell family.”

Before the shooting, Allen had traveled to Salt Lake City to attend the Utah State Fair and stay with the woman, police said. Allen competed in a bull riding event at the fair on Sunday night, according to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

(Ty O'Neil | Sipa via AP) Demetrius Allen, a professional bull rider better known as "Ouncie Mitchell," in the chutes during the Reno Rodeo in June 2022.

After the fair, Allen and the woman went to a bar downtown, where they got into an argument, police said. Allen went to collect his things from the woman’s apartment near 900 South and 200 West, where he was shot.

Police found Allen outside the apartment complex and provided medical aid before he was transported to a hospital, where he died.

Officers took the suspected shooter into custody. She was booked into Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of murder and felony discharge of a firearm. The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify suspects unless they have been charged with a crime.

Salt Lake City homicide detectives are currently investigating the shooting.

This marked the 10th homicide in Salt Lake City so far this year, according to police. It also marked the second shooting near 900 South and 200 West in recent weeks.

On Sept. 2, a Utah Transit Authority officer investigating a robbery at the TRAX platform near that intersection shot a man matching the description of the suspect after the man allegedly pointed a knife at UTA police. Officers were not hurt, but the man was critically injured, officials said.

Editor’s note • Those who are experiencing intimate partner violence, or know someone who is, are urged to call the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line, 1-800-897-LINK (5465).