A Utah man ran over and killed his wife in an airport parking garage after they returned from a family vacation, according to police.
Salt Lake City Police Department’s Homicide Squad arrested 38-year-old Shawn Christopher Sturgeon on Monday, who they say was under the influence when he fatally reversed over and dragged his wife Charlotte, 29.
The incident happened shortly after 2:30 PM on the second-level of the short-term parking garage at Salt Lake City International Airport.
“Details were that a female was run over by a vehicle,” a probable cause statement obtained by Gephardt Daily said. “Upon further investigation and video surveillance, it was determined that the A/P (arrested person) was driving the vehicle and the person that he ran over was his wife.”
“The arriving officers stated that the A/P appeared to be under the influence of alcohol as evidenced by the odor coming from his mouth and glassy bloodshot eyes.”
According to police, surveillance video shows Shawn Sturgeon placing their young child into the rear passenger-side back seat of the SUV, before getting into the driver’s seat.
His wife was standing between the car and the open rear passenger door, beside the child — when Sturgeon began reversing the car, the statement says.
“The victim’s legs can be seen flailing about as he continues to reverse, (the victim) being dragged, which causes her to fall to the ground under the vehicle,” it says.
“The A/P drives forward and then runs the victim over with the right rear passenger tire and drives approximately 10 feet before stopping. The A/P then walks the victim to the vehicle and puts her in the front passenger seat.”
According to a statement released by SLCPF, Sturgeon drove the vehicle, with his wife critically injured inside, to the airport parking payment booths where he asked for help.
“Because Sturgeon drove from the garage to the parking payment booths, SLCPD established two crime scenes to document and collect evidence,” they said.
Paramedics attempted lifesaving procedures at the scene before rushing the young mother to hospital, where efforts continued, but in vain.
Detectives took her husband to the airport’s Public Safety building for questioning; he was booked there on one count of Automobile Homicide – Criminal Negligence DUI of Alcohol/Drugs.
“The A/P made several spontaneous utterances that he ‘ran my wife over,’ ‘killed my wife’ and ‘I accidentally ran her over’,” the probable cause statement said.
But at the station, “The A/P stated he wanted an attorney and did not make any statements regarding the incident.”
He is being held without bail.
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