Authorities identify fatal shooting victim

UPDATE: 3:55 p.m. – Authorities have confirmed that the suspect’s car was located in Panguitch at around 3:35 p.m. Sunday.

CEDAR CITY – Cedar City resident Justin Hanna was found dead early Sunday morning after authorities responded to 911 reports of gunshots being fired, authorities said.

Hanna died of multiple gunshot wounds from a .40-caliber handgun, Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack confirmed during an interview with Cedar City News. The 34-year-old was a resident of Reber trailer court located at 515 N. 400 West.

Mark Mair, suspect wanted in Saturday morning shooting. Cedar City, Utah | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Police Department, St. George/Cedar City News
Mark Mair, suspect wanted in Sunday morning shooting. Cedar City, Utah | Photo courtesy of Cedar City Police Department, St. George/Cedar City News

At approximately 11:15 a.m., police issued a countywide BOLO alert, that has since gone statewide, for authorities to be on the lookout for a suspect wanted in the Sunday morning shooting. The suspect was later identified as 27-year-old Mark Mair.

Police are still investigating the motive behind the shooting.

“We are still looking into that,” Womack said. “We don’t really have a firm grasp on what the relationship was (between Mair and the deceased). We are still investigating that aspect of it.”

Mair is considered armed and dangerous and is reported to have been in possession of the .40-caliber handgun used at the scene. Police also believe he has an additional handgun, an SKS rifle and a sawed off shotgun.

Authorities said they believe Mair has left the Iron County area.

“We don’t really believe the public has anything to be worried about in Cedar City or Iron County,” Womack said. “We’re quite certain he has left the area.”

Womack did not confirm any additional details about Mair’s location. However, Cedar City News did confirm at around 11:15 a.m. Mair’s last known location was thought to be at milepost 80 of Interstate 15.

At the time, the suspect was reported to be headed north in a tan or gold colored four-door sedan passenger car, possibly an early 2000 Ford Taurus. A slender female with what authorities describe as “dishwater blonde hair,” is reportedly driving the vehicle, authorities said. Her name was unknown at the time and no new details have been released since.

Police are not sure at this time of whether Mair lives in Cedar City, but Womack said the suspect is known to have had previous dealings with law enforcement in the area.

Mair is described as being a white adult male with brown short-cropped hair and a patch of beard on his chin. He is 5 feet 7 inches and has a stocky build. Mair also has a Playboy Bunny tattooed on the left side of his neck.

Police are asking the public to keep their distance and not to approach Mair if seen and to call 911 immediately. Contact the Cedar City Police Department with any information relating to this matter: 435-586-2956.

Ed. note – UPDATE WITH CORRECTION – July 26, 10:45 a.m. – Mair was arrested July 25 in Colorado on arrest warrant charges including aggravated murder. See that report here. The shooting victim’s last name first given by police was misspelled Hannah; the spelling has since been confirmed Hanna and all references to him in this report are corrected accordingly.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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6 Comments

  • Michelle July 24, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Help me with something. WHY in cases like this, are the pictures of law enforcement put FIRST, instead of the suspect????? When someone copies this link ANYWHERE, all people are seeing is the picture of the police. If we are trying to warn the public of a dangerous person, wouldnt putting the suspects mug FIRST be better serving????

  • 42214 July 24, 2016 at 7:12 pm

    Bury the victim and book the shooter. A true win win situation for law abiding citizens.

    • .... July 26, 2016 at 3:18 pm

      Oh heck shoot the shooter and bury him and be done with it !

  • Bob July 24, 2016 at 9:02 pm

    that’ll teach that other guy. you don’t touch another man’s meth stash, or his skinny, meth addicted, trailer park princess.

  • youcandoit July 25, 2016 at 9:30 am

    With all this technology since they have an alleged suspect can they look up his cell phone number and ping his whereabouts. It’s very sad with what’s happening in the world these days. When I was younger the older folks would say the same things, unfortunately history repeats, however it keeps getting worse.

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