U student Adam Jacob Rogers was shot early Sunday morning, The Chronicle has learned.
Rogers, a pre-mining engineering major, is in serious but stable condition at the University Hospital after being shot with a sawed-off shotgun, according to Salt Lake police.
Chris Nelson, a spokesman for U Health Care, confirmed that Rogers, a pre-mining engineering major, was brought into the hospital Sunday morning in serious condition. Because of medical privacy laws, Nelson could not confirm how Rogers sustained his injuries, but The Chronicle has confirmed through a neighbor, Salt Lake City Councilman J.T. Martin and a confidential source that it was Rogers who was shot.
Rogers was sitting on the front porch of a duplex he rents, identified as Keenan, on 1300 E. Westminster Ave (1800 South), police said.
Salt Lake Police Lt. Cal Kunz said Rogers might have just returned from a fight at a late night party. Kunzsaid that shortly before 2:45 a.m. on March 1, a packed silver car, either a Subaru or a BMW hatchback, drove up to the house and opened fire.
Bullets hit Rogers once in the face and once in the neck. A third bullet missed him.
Nicole Schuartz, a neighbor, said she didn’t jump when she heard an explosion across the street, because neighbors had been playing with firecrackers throughout the night.
“I didn’t know it was a shotgun,” she said.
However, familiar red and blue lights were soon flashing across her shades and illuminating the baby toys scattered about her living room floor, she said. Now concerned, Schuartz said she peeked out her window to see police cars circling the duplex.
“I’ve probably seen them outside the house, like, at least 12 times,” Schuartz said. Rogers and Keenan are constantly getting into fights, both during and outside the loud parties they host almost every weekend, she said.
Scott Bittle, a neighbor, said that whatever trouble the residents of the duplex tend to cause trouble and be irresponsible . Bittle said the two men have no regard for their neighbors, bring 100 to 200 guests over for late-night parties almost every weekend and don’t hold themselves accountable for any mess they cause.
“I saw (Keenan) giving an interview on the front lawn, later that day, with this giant smirk on his face like “yeah, we had excitement here,'” Bittle said.
Police are still searching for the shooters.
Keenan declined to comment.
Correction: In the original version of the March 3 article “Student shot Sunday,” it was incorrectly reported that the victim lived at the residence where the shooting occurred. Adam Rogers, who was shoot at 1800 S. 1316 East Westminster Avenue, said he does not live at that address and was only visiting the duplex for a party. Police told a Chronicle reporter that Rogers was shot on “his porch.”