PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

May 2, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

SLCPD Makes Arrest in 17th South River Park Shooting

SALT LAKE CITY — Today, the Salt Lake City Police Department arrested 32-year-old Steven Mathew Macias who is accused of shooting two people at 17^th South River Park.

This morning, SLCPD detectives got information about Macias’ location in Juab County, Utah. The Utah Highway Patrol safely took him into custody.

This investigation started at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 1, 2023, when SLC911 received multiple calls about a shooting at 17^th South River Park, located at 1150 West 1700 South.

“This case highlights the expertise, persistence and care of our officers, detectives, and crime lab technicians,” said SLCPD Chief Mike Brown. “The work of our police department does not go unnoticed. It is important work that demonstrates our unwavering commitment to helping ensure the safety of our community.”

Based on the preliminary investigation, Macias – using a rifle – shot a 65-year-old man sitting in his truck who then immediately ran from the scene before officers arrived.

After shooting the 65-year-old man, Macias is accused of shooting into a crowd of people on the park’s soccer field, which critically injured a 21-year-old man.

During the shooting, a round from Macias’ rifle hit a passing car with a person inside.

When officers arrived, witnesses directed them onto the field. Officers provided lifesaving efforts to the 21-year-old man. Paramedics took him to the hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.

Once officers secured the scene, they initiated a search in the immediate area and the surrounding neighborhood looking for the 65-year-old man.

It is estimated the man ran approximately 150 yards to the south of the parking lot where he was shot and then collapsed in vegetation.

Around 10 p.m., on Monday, May 1, 2023, members of the SLCPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT), conducting an expanded search for the 65-year-old man and any evidence left behind, found him in the vegetation with a gunshot wound and provided emergency care. Paramedics took the man to the hospital in serious condition where he remains.

After the shooting, Macias got into his SUV and left the park westbound on 1700 South.

Officers will book Macias into the Salt Lake County Jail on seven counts of felony discharge of a firearm and four counts of aggravated assaults.

There is no other information available for release.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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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