A man was wounded and another person was arrested after an apparent road rage shooting Wednesday afternoon at Antelope Island State Park, authorities said.
The shooting unfolded at 1:36 p.m. on the causeway to the park, said Stephanie Dinsmore, a spokesperson for the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, during a 4 p.m. news conference.
Deputies responded six minutes later to find a man in his 50s suffering a gunshot wound, Dinsmore said. They provided first aid until he was flown to a nearby hospital, where he was stabilized as of Wednesday afternoon.
The suspected shooter ran from the scene and was able to “effectively conceal himself in the marshy brush” near the causeway, Dinsmore said. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter dispatched to the scene spotted the man, who was then safely taken into custody.
Though the shooting was described as road rage in nature, it is unclear what exactly led up to it. Two vehicles were reportedly involved: that of the man shot, and that of the suspected shooter.
Three people were inside both vehicles, Dinsmore said. The other two people in the injured man’s car were not hurt.
The other two people in the suspected shooter’s car remained at the scene and were detained by deputies. Dinsmore said they are cooperating with the investigation.
Davis County authorities said after the suspected shooter’s arrest that there were “no other known threats to public safety” in the area.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Law enforcement block the Antelope Island causeway after a shooting at Antelope Island State Park on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
The causeway to the park was shut down as authorities responded to the shooting. It was briefly reopened to outbound traffic so park visitors could leave, Dinsmore said, but otherwise will remain closed for an indefinite amount of time as detectives and crime lab technicians investigate.
Dinsmore said this marked the first time Davis County deputies had responded to a shooting at the state park in at least two years, if not longer. She said authorities continue to investigate motive, including whether or not the people in the two separate cars knew each other.
Individuals are allowed to carry firearms at state parks “as long as they are doing so in accordance with all state laws and codes,” said Devan Chavez, a spokesperson for Utah State Parks.
People are also allowed to target shoot at state parks, so long as they follow the same state statutes and guidelines. Twenty-three state parks are open to all hunting; six parks limit hunting to specific types; and 15 prohibit it altogether.
No waterfowl hunting is allowed at Antelope Island. Big game hunting is, but only with a special permit. For more information, visit the Utah state parks website.
