University of Utah shooting leaves 1 dead, police hunt gunman

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Austin Boutain, 24, shot and killed a person near University of Utah Monday night, police said.
Austin Boutain, 24, shot and killed a person near University of Utah Monday night, police said. (Salt Lake City Police Department)

A gunman remained on the loose Tuesday morning after he shot and killed a person near the University of Utah campus Monday night, prompting an hours-long lockdown and canceled classes.

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Officials launched a dragnet for Austin Boutain, 24, who is considered armed and dangerous, Salt Lake City Police Department said. A woman on the university’s campus called police just after 8 p.m. saying her husband, Boutain, assaulted her while they were camping in Red Butte Canyon, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Police officers search for a gunman near Red Butte Garden on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017. Police say a deadly shooting occurred near the school campus on Monday. (Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
Police are hunting for Boutain who shot and killed a person during an attempted carjacking, police said. (AP)
Boutain then shot and killed a person during an attempted carjacking at the mouth of the canyon, police said. His wife was being treated for unknown injuries. Police did not release any details of the shooting victim.

Authorities said they believe Boutain is in the foothills above Red Butte Canyon, but were continuing to search the campus. Police said they believe the canyon will be closed all of Tuesday.

Boutain has several tattoos, including a teardrop and a cross tattoos on his face, and other ones on his neck and arm. He was wearing all black clothing at the time of the murder.

University officials issued an alert on campus around 9 p.m. saying: “Shots fired. Red Butte Canyon. Shelter in Place.” The lockdown was lifted six hours later, but classes were canceled on Halloween. Facilities and services will be open on campus, police said.

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