Orem police continued their search Friday for a suspect in a Thursday night shooting at an apartment complex near Utah Valley University that left one man dead.
Police have identified the victim as 26-year-old Dominque Barnett.
The shooting — which was reported just after 8 p.m. — prompted the university to warn students to take shelter where they were and to avoid the Parkway Lofts, at 1225 W. 1000 South, which is west of the university, across Interstate 15. The take-shelter order was later lifted, and classes were scheduled to go on as usual on Friday.
Police are searching for 19-year-old Elbert Paule, who they describe as a suspect. He was seen running from the area after the shooting. Paule is 5 feet 8 inches tall and was last seen wearing a dark sweatshirt and yellow sweatpants.
“A reward has been established for info leading to his capture,” Orem police tweeted.
The gun believed to have been used in the shooting was recovered; police said they don’t know if Paule is armed.
When police got to the apartments on Thursday night, they found Barnett injured inside one of the units, Orem police Lt. Trent Colledge said. The shooting took place in the doorway. Barnett was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Colledge said Barnett knew the shooter, but wasn’t sure what prompted the shooting.
Orem police, who are leading the investigation with assistance from UVU police, did not release information about whether either Barnett or the suspect is a UVU student. The shooting took place at off-campus housing; UVU does not have any on-campus housing.
Students and others got the first text message alert about the shooting approximately 50 minutes after it happened. The university didn’t post updates to its social media accounts until around 9:25 p.m.
According to the university, it notified students, faculty, and staff “within 38 minutes” of when it learned of the incident, via its mass text and email system.
“Text and email are the first means of communication to the campus community,” said UVU spokesman Scott Trotter. “Students, faculty, and staff received frequent text and email updates and social media was added as the situation continued.”
The university’s response will be reviewed, he added, “to better plan for the future and increase the effectiveness of our processes.”
Following the shooting, an Orem police dispatcher said those in the area were notified via reverse 911 calls.
