PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

June 30, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

SLCPD Reminds Community Members About Gun Safety

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Police Department is reminding community members about gun safety after a 26-year-old man practicing dry firing a handgun nearly shot an eight-year-old boy.

This investigation started at 1:30 p.m. on June 28, 2022 when SLC911 took a call from someone who reported a bullet came through their living room wall at 30 North Orange Street.

Initially, the 26-year-old suspect told officers someone broke into his apartment, got his gun and fired it into the wall.

Later, as the investigation proceeded, the man told officers he accidentally discharged his firearm inside his apartment. He told officers he believed the gun was unloaded and that he was practicing “dry firing.”

Dry firing is when the trigger of a gun is pulled when there is no ammunition in the firearm’s chamber.

When the gun fired, the bullet traveled through a wall into the neighboring apartment where an eight-year-old boy sat on a couch. The round passed through a second wall into a bedroom.

The boy’s father found the bullet on a bed inside his apartment. The bullet also damaged a mirror inside the neighboring apartment during its flight.

The shooting did not injure the eight-year-old boy.

Officers arrested Chase Wright and transported him to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. Detectives will work with prosecutors to determine the appropriate charges in this case.

The Salt Lake City Police Department reminds community members about the six basic gun safety rules:

• Treat all guns as if they are loaded. Always assume that a gun is loaded, even if you believe the gun is unloaded.
• Keep guns pointed in the safest possible direction when handling. Only point a gun at an object you intend to shoot.
• Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot.
• Know your target, its surroundings and what’s behind your target.  Understand that if a bullet misses or passes through the target, it could strike a person or object.
• Know how to safely operate your firearm.
• Always safely store your firearm and prevent unauthorized use. Firearms should be locked and rendered safe using a trigger lock. Ammunition should be stored in a different location than the firearm.

A photo of one of the damaged walls is being provided.

No additional information is available for release.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos.

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