PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

December 29, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

Media Request Form: https://police.slc.gov/mediarequest/

SLCPD Detectives Arrest Suspect in Downtown Shooting that Left One Man Injured

SALT LAKE CITY — Detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department have arrested a 24-year-old man accused of shooting a convenience store employee, for no apparent reason, during a robbery.

This investigation started at approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday, December 26, 2023, when SLC911 received information about a shooting at a convenience store near 400 East 200 South.

Officers arrived and found the victim with a gunshot wound. Gold Cross and Salt Lake City Fire took the man to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. The victim remains under medical care.

During the investigation detectives recognized the suspect, Jose Barajas-Macias, as someone who was wanted for other crimes in the Salt Lake Valley.

Detectives believe Barajas-Macias and his friends entered the store to shop. Before leaving the store, Barajas-Macias shot the clerk. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation, but detectives later confirmed Barajas-Macias stole a pair of gloves.

With the assistance of SLCPD detectives assigned to the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT), robbery detectives found Barajas-Macias at a house in Weber County. The Salt Lake City SWAT Team and members of the Davis County SWAT Team, served a court-authorized search warrant and safely arrested Barajas Macias.

Detectives booked Barajas-Macias into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of aggravated robbery, felony discharge of a firearm, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person as well as a parole violation.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 801-799-3000 or submit an anonymous tip using the City Protect App and reference case number 23-288062.

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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