SALT LAKE CITY — The suspect who shot and killed his roommate at a Salt Lake City apartment complex Tuesday told police that he only intended to scare the victim who had been locked out of the unit.
James Stacey Riedman, 47, was arrested immediately after surrendering to police after he had barricaded himself inside the apartment following the shooting. Riedman faces charges of murder and obstruction of justice.
Large police presence seen in video below after Salt Lake City shooting:
According to the arrest report, police originally received a call from the victim claiming Riedman was refusing to let him inside the apartment, which they shared. When officers arrived at the complex, they found the unidentified 24-year-old victim dead from a gunshot wound outside the unit.
After his eventual surrender, Riedman told detectives that he had recently rented out a room to the victim, which he claimed was followed by incidents in which he believed his new roommate was "disrespecting him."
Riedman said he locked his roommate out of the apartment for safety reasons and believed he was being taken advantage of.
When the victim returned, he knocked on the door to be let inside. After being denied entry, the victim later called Riedman, who refused to answer his phone.
Riedman said he became scared after the roommate yelled that he was going to "kick this
_______ door down."
The report says Riedman then retrieved a gun and fired one round through the front door, hoping to "scare" his roommate. Despite hearing a gasp from outside, Riedman allegedly did not open the door to see if the victim had been injured, and did not call police.
The police report claims Riedman hid the gun and the spent cartridge in his bedroom following the shooting.
Riedman barricaded himself inside the unit for approximately 2 hours before surrounding and being taken into custody.
During the hours-long incident, other residents inside the apartment complex were told to shelter in place, and Redwood Road was shutdown in both directions between 700 North and 800 North.