ST. GEORGE — A late night crash involving a truck that slammed into a house ended with one fatal shot fired and numerous emergency personnel responding to a residential neighborhood in the Dixie Downs area of St. George early Wednesday morning.
Shortly after midnight officers and emergency personnel were dispatched to the neighborhood near North Dixie Downs Road where a white Ford pickup truck had crashed into a house on West 1370 North, St. George Police Lt. Doug Sargent said.
The man driving the truck fled the scene on foot immediately after the crash.
Officers arriving on scene found the damaged truck empty and ran the license plate, learning the name of the registered owner along with an address on a street not far from where the crash was reported.
As officers made their way to the truck owner’s address they observed a man entering a back yard, Sargent said. Seconds later the officers heard a gunshot and someone screaming.
“At that point, additional officers were called out and we set up a perimeter,” Sargent said, “and then called out SWAT and secured the residence until we could determine what was going on.”
Officers made their way to the side of the residence where they heard the shot and found a man lying on the ground, Sargent said. He appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound that was fatal.
Police also checked inside the residence where the man was found to make sure no one else was involved or injured. They found the home empty.
Numerous officers and agencies responded to the neighborhood and remained for nearly two hours, which didn’t go unnoticed as bystanders hearing the commotion began congregating in the area.
“Sometimes we don’t know exactly what’s going on before we get out there, so we take a lot of precautions and call in reinforcements,” Sargent said, “and with so many officers out there many times neighbors want to know what’s going on.”
Sargent also said that while it appears the two incidents are related, those findings are preliminary as the investigation is still ongoing.
The name of the man shot and exact location of the residence where he was shot are not included in this report as family notifications are pending.
The St. George Police and Fire departments, St. George Police Department’s SWAT Team and Gold Cross Ambulance responded and tended to the scene.
This report is based in part on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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This photo was taken at 7:45 a.m. shows white Ford pickup truck still on wrecker at the Personal Touch Towing lot after it crashed into residence on West 1370 North in Dixie Downs area early Wednesday morning, St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News This photo taken around 7:30 a.m. shows a truck crashed into the side yard of a home in the area of West 1370 North in Dixie Downs area early Wednesday morning, St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News This photo taken around 3 a.m. shows a truck crashed into the side yard of a home in the area of West 1370 North in Dixie Downs area early Wednesday morning, St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News This photo was taken at 7:45 a.m. shows white Ford pickup truck still on wrecker at the Personal Touch Towing lot after it crashed into residence on West 1370 North in Dixie Downs area early Wednesday morning, St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News This photo taken around 3 a.m. shows a truck crashed into the side yard of a home in the area of West 1370 North in Dixie Downs area early Wednesday morning, St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News This photo taken around 7:30 a.m. shows a truck crashed into the side yard of a home in the area of West 1370 North in Dixie Downs area early Wednesday morning, St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News 2017 file photo for illustrative purposes only of St. George Police responding to a Dixie Downs neighborhood in St. George, Utah, Sept. 6, 2017 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
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Crazy stuff is happening in my neighborhood and before that I had to call the cops a teenager or 20 yr old walked in my backyard I thought he went in my garage. He’s on my video camera running around my garage and he must have jumped my 6ft. Wood fence. Maybe that male should join the military with all that energy, and start earning a wage instead of stealing. His bike is still here and he got away
military won’t take meth addicts. best to keep everything locked up tight
Glad the gunshot was self-inflicted because the recent car jacking in Santa Clara doesn’t give me much confidence in SGPD’ s marksmanship and ability to hit the guy.
Good thing the gunshot wound was self-inflicted. Based on last week’s car jacking incident I doubt SGPD has the marksmanship to have hit the guy.
Time to conceal and carry folks….we’re not in Kansas anymore Toto….and Southern Utah will never be the same ever again, thanks to the greed machine