Court documents identify suspect in fatal road rage shooting on SR-201

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, October 8, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) – Court documents filed in Salt Lake County’s Third District Court name the suspected shooter accused of killing a 50-year-old driver during a road rage incident early Monday morning on State Route 201.

A probable cause statement included in the documents identifies the suspected shooter as Thomas Jim Long, 44.

According to the PC statement, Long opened fire on the victim after a “traffic altercation” that began on I-215 West at the 900 West exit and ended a short time later after both vehicles collided with a concrete barrier near 1000 West on SR 201 eastbound.

After the collision, Lee is said to have “fired several shots,” fatally wounding the victim, who died at the scene.

A review of a “citizen’s” dashcam video obtained by investigators allegedly shows that “the vehicle driven by Thomas Long was initially cut off from the victim.”

“Thomas Long then showed aggressive driving behavior, including checking the brakes and cutting off the victim. The footage also shows Thomas Long changing lanes without signaling and swerving in front of the victim. The victim then collided with Long’s vehicle multiple times,” the probable cause statement said.

As the incident continued to unfold, “the victim activated his turn signal and appeared to be preparing to exit, but then turned back into the suspect’s vehicle, resulting in another collision.”

“In response, Long maneuvered in front of the victim’s vehicle, forcing both vehicles into a concrete barrier. Shortly thereafter, Long fired multiple shots at the victim, resulting in 15 shell casings being recovered from the scene,” according to a DPS officer’s affidavit included in the PC statement.

After the shooting, Long remained at the scene and allegedly told investigators, “Not only was he the shooter, but he was protecting himself,” and the victim, whose name has not yet been released, “pulled something out of his waistband and he (Long ) responded and shot him.”

Long is being held in the Salt Lake County Jail facing possible charges including:

• Murder, a felony of the first degree
• Aggravated assault, road rage, a felony of the third degree
• Reckless driving, road rage, a Class B misdemeanor