Salt Lake City police arrested and charged a man after he allegedly fatally ran over his wife in an airport parking garage Monday afternoon.
Shawn Sturgeon, 38, has been charged with one count of “automobile homicide – criminal negligence DUI of alcohol/drugs,” the Salt Lake City Police Department said in a press release. The 29-year-old wife, Charlotte Sturgeon, sustained critical injuries as a result of the incident in the Salt Lake City International Airport parking garage and, in spite of life-saving efforts on-scene and the hospital, succumbed to her injuries, according to the police.
A PIO will brief media around 5:15 PM at the media staging area. There is no safe area for media to gather video or photos without impacting airport operations or the crime scenes. As such, we are releasing these photographs from our crime scenes. #slc #SaltLakeCity #slcpd pic.twitter.com/P7Y24mYCKH
— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) April 4, 2022
He and his wife had reportedly just returned from a vacation in Texas, and a family member reported seeing no signs of trouble in the relationship between the two, according to KSL TV. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Shawn Sturgeon getting into the driver’s seat of the vehicle and running over his wife, who was standing outside of the car near an open rear passenger door, shortly after backing up, police said, the outlet reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Mother Of 3 Killed While Children Were Home)
This is now a homicide investigation. The victim died at a local hospital after being hit by a vehicle inside the airport garage. The driver of the vehicle is in custody. There are no other updates at this time. #slc #slcpd #saltlakecity pic.twitter.com/nlVNJDdF8W
— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) April 5, 2022
Police said in court documents that she was dragged under the vehicle when he backed up, the outlet reported. The husband allegedly drove about 10 feet forward after running over the victim with the right rear tire, according to KSL TV.
Shawn Sturgeon allegedly put Charlotte Sturgeon in the car and drove to the pay booth within the airport parking garage to seek assistance, which resulted in two crime scenes that were reviewed for evidence, according to the police department’s release.
Officers that were present on-scene indicated that Shawn Sturgeon “appeared to be under the influence of alcohol as evidenced by the odor coming from his mouth and glassy bloodshot eyes,” KSL TV reported, citing court documents. Police arrested Sturgeon without incident, after which time he allegedly said “ran my wife over,” “killed my wife” and “I accidentally ran her over,” court documents said, the outlet reported.
The investigation is ongoing.