BLUFFDALE — David Serbeck and Reginald Campos are both proactive in their neighborhoods. Both are family men who want to keep their streets safe for their children. And both men are highly regarded by their neighbors.
911 call
Before Tuesday night, Serbeck and Campos had never met, even though they live within two minutes of each other. But their paths crossed through an unfortunate series of events and severe miscommunication that resulted in Campos allegedly shooting and critically injuring Serbeck in the early morning hours Wednesday at 1600 West and 12400 South.
One man thought he was protecting his daughter. The other thought he was protecting his neighbors against possible burglars.
Serbeck was heavily sedated at the hospital Wednesday afternoon but able to communicate through smiles and some handwriting, said his friend David Babcock, who visited him at the hospital. The bullet grazed Serbeck's spinal cord, causing some paralysis, Babcock said.
But otherwise, the U.S. Army veteran, who was a sniper and served in several military conflicts and was shot at least once while serving in the Army, seemed to be doing as well as one could under the circumstances, Babcock said.
"He seems to be in remarkably good spirits," he said.
Because of tubes in his mouth, Serbeck could not talk. But Babcock said Serbeck wrote notes asking how his family was and what had happened. In one note, he wrote, "Oh well, life happens."
As for the man accused in the shooting, Campos was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of attempted murder. Friends and family members sitting on the porch of Campos' house Wednesday afternoon declined comment.
Neighbor KanaMarie Poulson, who lives next door, said part of the reason she loved living in her neighborhood was because of Campos.
"He was the one in our neighborhood who was quick to look out for everyone," she said. "He's a great guy. A great neighbor. He's been nothing but great. I love him as a neighbor."
Just as Serbeck tried to watch out for the people on his street, so did Campos for his neighbors. Both men thought they were protecting people late Tuesday night.
Serbeck was a member of the local mobile patrol group, and earlier in the evening, he had been driving the president of the homeowners association around the neighborhood to point out where they had been having a recent rash of car burglaries, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.
During their drive, they came across two teenage girls. Serbeck drove by in his SUV and said something to the effect of, "How are you doing?" or "What's going on?" Hutson said.
"The girls keep quiet and keep walking," he said.
The girls walked to one of their homes, where one got her car and went to another house to pick up their friends, Hutson said. On their way back, they encountered Serbeck's SUV again. Serbeck, not recognizing the vehicle, did a U-turn and followed, Hutson said.
Now, the occupants of each car were suspicious of each other — one apparently believing strange men were following them and the other wondering if the girls were connected to any recent criminal activity, Hutson said.
The girls drove erratically through the neighborhood to get away, Hutson said. One girl called her father, 43-year-old Campos, and told him they were being followed.
Campos drove his car to where the girls were. By that time, they had lost Serbeck. Campos escorted the girls back to his house, where they were going to have a sleep-over, and then took his daughter back out to look for the SUV.
When the two vehicles crossed each other in the street, Campos made a U-turn, drove toward the SUV and then slammed his brakes in front of the vehicle, causing the SUV to stop, according to Hutson.
Both drivers exited their vehicles, and the confrontation quickly turned to gunfire, Hutson said.
Campos called 911 just after midnight and said he had just shot someone, Hutson said. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found 36-year-old Serbeck lying face down on the ground, with a gun next to his hand.
"When I pulled him over, he pulled a gun on me, and I shot him," Campos told 911 dispatchers. "He got out of his car, pulled a gun on me, cocked it, and I let him have it."
Campos told dispatchers that an ambulance was needed, that he had shot at Serbeck three times and that Serbeck wasn't able to move his legs. One bullet entered Serbeck's shoulder and shattered his spinal cord. He was flown by medical helicopter to a local hospital in extremely critical condition but was expected to survive, Hutson said.
Several neighbors said Serbeck was the type of person who helped others instal sprinkler systems and sod and helped people move. He also headed up the local mobile patrol unit for the neighborhood, which was not sponsored by local law enforcement, which is not required by law.
"He's our eyes. He's our friend to everybody," said neighbor Yvette Mignerey Atkin. "I'm devastated. I'm heartbroken. He's not an aggressor by any means."
Many law enforcement agencies sponsor both neighborhood-watch and mobile patrol units, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Levi Hughes, who is the crime-prevention specialist at the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office currently has one mobile patrol unit, which is trained by the sheriff's office to look for suspicious activity and equipped with two-way radios to contact deputies. Once the units disband, it's unlikely the sheriff's office will get another mobile patrol unit for the very reason of what happened Tuesday night.
"This is my greatest fear that just came through," Hughes said.
If either party had just called 911, he added, the tragedy likely would have been avoided.
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com