Police are asking motorists to keep cool and avoid highway confrontations after a Salt Lake man was shot three times Monday during an altercation that began on I-215.
Kirk McMullin, 29, was shot once in the stomach and twice in the right leg shortly after 10 p.m. outside a home at 6558 S. 2200 West.Investigators say the incident occurred moments after McMullin and a female companion were cut off by another car while exiting I-215 at Redwood Road (5600 South).
"From what we know, (McMullin) began chasing the driver of the second car through a Bennion neighborhood after the two had some type of altercation on the freeway," said Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Larry Bringhurst. "The driver of the first car apparently tried to lose (McMullin) and later pulled in front of his house to contact authorities for help."
McMullin parked his car in the man's driveway and then apparently jumped out and began beating him in the front yard. Sometime during the melee, the man, 21, pulled a .38-caliber revolver from the trunk of his car and fired three rounds, said police.
McMullin's companion began screaming for help when he was hit - drawing nightshirt-clad neighbors from their homes to see what was going on.
"The woman was frantic and yelling `no, no, no,' " said Mike Burkey, who lives across the busy street. "She started jumping up and down, then she put the guy who had been shot in the passenger side of the car and drove away."
McMullin was later located in the emergency room at Cottonwood Hospital. He was listed in satisfactory condition Tuesday.
The 21-year-old was treated for cuts and bruises at his home.
When police arrived they immediately located the revolver, which had been unloaded and set aside for safety. No arrests were made, but the situation remains under investigation.
Officers are calling the incident senseless and unfortunate.
"These types of things can be avoided if motorists just back off when faced with a confrontation," said Bringhurst.