ST. GEORGE — A man is in jail facing first-degree murder following a fatal shooting that reportedly took place at a residence in Minersville early Sunday morning.
Update Sept. 27, 4:20 p.m. Police have identified the man who was killed as 38-year-old Shane Davis, of Minersville.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, shortly before 2:30 a.m. officers were dispatched to a shooting reported in the 300 block of West 100 South in Minersville involving a 38-year-old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.
Officers arrived to find the man slumped over in the garage of the residence with a wound to his back near the left shoulder area. Authorities also found a blood trail that ran from just a few feet inside of the residence, continuing along the garage door and ending where officers found the man semi-conscious. The officer noted in the report that the man told authorities he did not shoot himself.
The man was transported to Beaver Valley Hospital by ambulance while officers searched the immediate area for the firearm, but they were unable to locate the gun at that time.
While processing the scene, officers were advised the man died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Through the course of the investigation, detectives spoke with several witnesses who reported there was an argument earlier that day between the man who died of the gunshot wound and another man, identified as 38-year-old Mike Allen Miller, who authorities later learned owned a 9 mm handgun, the same caliber used in the shooting.
Six hours later officers, received information that the suspect had been spotted just a few blocks away driving a blue Dodge Neon. Two Beaver County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area and stopped the Dodge on West 200 South. The suspect was ordered out of the vehicle and taken into custody by police.
According to the report, Miller told deputies he had shot the man but said it was in self-defense. He also said they would find the pistol on the front passenger seat of his vehicle. The firearm was located and collected as evidence.
The suspect was transported to the Beaver County Jail where he was later questioned by police.
According to the statement, Miller again told investigators he shot the victim and went on to explain that he “thought he was protecting other residents in the home” when the shooting took place.
Miller also told allegedly detectives the man was closing the door to the home while holding onto a woman’s wrist. The officer noted in his report that Miller said he “did not feel any remorse for his actions.”
The report further states that investigators found no evidence of an immediate threat of serious bodily injury to Miller present at the time of the incident and that Miller admitted there were other options available aside from using deadly force at the time of the shooting.
Authorities have yet to release the identity of the man who died in the shooting, and no further details were available at the time of this report. This is a developing story.
Ed. Note: The victim’s age was corrected and a new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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