Utah teen driver shot, killed after deputies say she was chased by unknown driver
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Collin Leonard, KSL.com
CEDAR CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — Iron County investigators are asking the public for information after they say a 17-year-old driver was pursued by an unknown driver Friday night, shot and killed on a stretch of road northwest of Cedar City.
Dispatchers received a report of gunfire aimed at a vehicle at about 10:42 p.m., according to Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Mitchell, in a release sent out Saturday.
Law enforcement and first responders found the teenage girl in a red truck at the intersection of Midvalley Road and 4300 West, the release says. Life-saving measures were administered, but she died of her injuries while being prepared for transport to Cedar City Hospital, according to Mitchell. The girl’s identity has not yet been released.
“Preliminary investigations reveal that the victim’s vehicle was being pursued by an unknown assailant’s vehicle for several miles,” Mitchell said. The assailant pulled alongside the girl’s truck and opened fire, striking her and causing her to lose control, according to the release.
The truck swerved off the road, crashed through a vinyl fence and came to rest around 100 feet northwest of the intersection.
Investigators are asking the public to contact them with any information. Mitchell says anyone who saw a small red pickup truck being closely followed by a dark-colored truck or SUV on Lund Highway Friday night, specifically between 1600 North and Midvalley Road, or heading west on Midvalley Road toward the Three Peaks Campground area, to call dispatch.
Any businesses or homes along the road that may have captured surveillance footage should also contact dispatch, as the video could be extremely useful to the investigation, according to the release.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the young woman who lost her life during this tragic act of violence,” Mitchell said.
The Iron County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (435) 867-7500 and the Cedar Dispatch non-emergency number is (435) 586-9445.