Man in custody after police receive call about gunshots fired at housing near Dixie State

ST. GEORGE — A man was arrested Sunday afternoon following a report of gunshots heard on the third floor of a housing complex a block from the Dixie State University campus.

The man in custody following the incident at The Vintage at Tabernacle campus housing units, St. George, Utah, May 3, 2020 | Photo by Aspen Stoddard, St. George News

Just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, St. George Police, Dixie State Campus Police, St. George SWAT, Gold Cross Ambulance and the crisis negotiation team were dispatched to The Vintage at Tabernacle housing complex at 852 East Tabernacle Street after gunshots were reported.

St. George police vehicles lined the block, from 800 East to 900 East, where traffic was also being diverted.

Two St. George police officers were stationed at the corner of 900 East Tabernacle. One of them held a sniper rifle aimed at the third floor.

On the other end of the block at 800 East, a crowd of college students stood around in the grass in swim suits.

St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin told St. George News that following an altercation at or near the pool, one of the people left, the man who is now in custody. A short while later, one of the people at the pool received a video of a gun from the man who had left.

The person who received the video then reported hearing gunshots, Atkin said. Responders were at the scene for about two hours and were stationed at different spots around the building.

Officers were finally able to make contact with the suspect by connecting with him on the phone.

“I don’t know where he was when he surrendered, but it does sound like he came out pretty quick,” Atkin said.

Atkin said she cannot confirm yet whether a gun was fired.

“I can’t confirm that right now,” she said. “We’ve got one in custody and no injuries.”

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!