Police on Wednesday were investigating yet another homicide in downtown Salt Lake City's homeless district, just a day after a transient allegedly went on a rampage that left one dead and three others seriously injured.
Salt Lake City police Detective Robert Ungricht said 1:39 a.m. reports of gunfire brought officers to a sidewalk at 350 S. 400 West, where they found Shawn J. Manymules, 26, dead from at least one gunshot wound to the chest.
That area, just across the street from Pioneer Park and about block from The Road Home and other homeless outreach services, is known for its transient campers — and an upsurge in violence and drug crimes over the past few months. Over the Fourth of July holiday, an attack on a Triple-A baseball player and a fatal auto-pedestrian crash received national attention.
Ungricht said Wednesday evening that detectives had not identified a suspect or suspects in Manymules' slaying or made any arrests.
Court records show a history of mostly misdemeanor criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and trespassing violations for Manymules, though he did plead guilty in 2011 to a third-degree felony theft charge.
On Tuesday, police arrested Kepedro Kegler, a 43-year-old homeless man, after he allegedly used rocks and a paving stone to attack four people between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Three men, ages 35, 40 and 58, were hospitalized with head wounds. A fourth man — 55-year-old Kevin McCann — died of massive head trauma.
According to an arrest document, Kegler, screaming, "Die, motherf-----," struck the victim repeatedly with a large concrete paving stone.
The Tuesday assaults happened near the Uptown Security Storage facility on 500 West and under a freeway overpass at 600 West.
Investigators were trying to figure out what prompted the assaults, but said it appeared that Kegler's attacks were "random" and "unprovoked."
The area is known for drug and mental health issues, Ungricht said. "We're not saying those [two factors] are the cause, but those are certainly two things we look at."
He said it is "unusual" and "tragic" to have two homicides in the same area within 24 hours of each other.
"It's not real normal or rational for a person to pick up a paving stone and bash someone," the detective said. Ungricht added that officers had been "familiar" with both homicide victims and Kegler.
Kegler remained in Salt Lake County jail, where he was being held without bail on suspicion of first-degree felony aggravated murder and three second-degree felony attempted murder counts.
Earlier this month, Kegler pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail for trying to assault a police officer in Salt Lake City, according to court records. His previous criminal history in Utah includes criminal trespassing in 2009 and communications fraud in 2008.
Generally when there is an increase of a specific type of crime in a concentrated area, Ungricht said, the department responds by deploying additional officers to that region.
The homicides "certainly" have affected other people experiencing homelessness in the area, Ungricht said. Criminals sometimes "prey upon" people experiencing homelessness who are there for the "right" reasons, such as looking for housing resources and corrective services for substance abuse problems or mental health issues.
