Man arrested after allegedly shooting landlord to death in St. George

ST. GEORGE — A 42-year-old man is in custody after allegedly shooting another man to death at a St. George residence Wednesday night.

Scene of a fatal shooting reported near 740 North and 1100 East, St. George, Utah on Nov. 30, 2022 | Photo taken Dec. 1, 2022 by Chris Reed, St. George News

As previously reported in St. George News, police responded to a reported domestic violence incident at about 8:30 p.m. The suspect had threatened several individuals with a firearm, according to a news release posted by St. George Police late Wednesday evening.

Responding officers reportedly heard gunshots upon arrival at the scene, which was at a manufactured home located within an industrial area of town near 740 North and 1100 East.

The suspect, later identified as Joel Curtis Flores, was taken into custody and booked into Washington County’s Purgatory Correctional Facility early Thursday morning on suspicion of murder, a first-degree felony, along with several other charges, including aggravated assault, felony discharge of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a restricted person, intoxication and criminal mischief.

The deceased man is identified as Richard Harper in the probable cause statement filed on Thursday morning in support of Flores’s arrest. The affidavit states that Harper was Flores’s landlord and lived at the same address, with Flores reportedly staying in an adjacent trailer on the property.

According to the affidavit, Flores had been fighting with a female friend in her 50s when she was able to get away from him and go inside Harper’s nearby residence. Harper then reportedly called police while the woman and a 17-year-old girl secured themselves in a back room of the home.

Scene of a fatal shooting reported near 740 North and 1100 East, St. George, Utah on Nov. 30, 2022 | Photo taken Dec. 1, 2022 by Chris Reed, St. George News

According to the affidavit, Flores fired several shots from a .22 caliber rifle from outside the home, through the glass front door of Harper’s residence. At least one of the bullets struck Harper, causing fatal injuries. Witnesses reported hearing as many as 12 shots.

St. George Police Department’s initial news release noted that there were no other outstanding suspects, nor was there believed to be a threat to the public. No police officers fired their weapons during the incident, according to the statement.

Flores had three outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest, according to the probable cause statement.

Utah court records show Flores’ criminal history includes various offenses, including assault, weapons and drug charges, in addition to violating protective orders. Two of his most recent cases involve a domestic violence assault and the misdemeanor theft of a box of bees, for which he was sentenced to two years of probation in August 2021.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact. 

This is a developing story.

St. George News reporter CHRIS REED contributed to this report.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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