ST. GEORGE — One man is dead and another has been charged with aggravated murder following a shooting at a club in Hurricane over the weekend.
Hurricane Police officers responded Friday to the Eagles Lodge on East 800 North shortly after 11 p.m. in Hurricane and upon arrival found a man who had reportedly been shot in front of the business. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to charging documents filed in 5th District Court.
Additionally, a statement was released by the Hurricane Police Department early Saturday morning identifying the suspect as 55-year-old Bryan Edwin Hill, who reportedly fled the scene in his vehicle prior to officers arriving. The victim was identified as Sean Moore, a 41-year-old Hurricane resident.
During a canvass of the area, officers spotted the suspect’s vehicle in the area of 600 West 100 North in Hurricane. Washington County Metro SWAT officers were dispatched to the scene, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident shortly before 1 a.m.
At the time of Hill’s arrest, officers noted a number of signs that led them to suspect that Hill was possibly impaired, including the strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath, slurred speech and that he appeared unsteady on his feet.
Hill was then transported to the Hurricane Police Department where he was interviewed by detectives.
Prior to the start of the interview, police said Hill reportedly made “spontaneous utterances,” including one in which he said he had shot the victim.
The suspect explained that prior to the incident, he had arrived at the bar at 10 p.m. and was drinking shots of orange juice and rum. When he attempted to leave, Hill said it was the victim who began to get verbally aggressive with him and a tussle ensued.
During the struggle, the suspect said it was the victim who pulled a firearm from his right side, and Hill then said he reacted by pulling his own firearm, which he followed up by displaying a firing motion with his hands, the detective noted.
The suspect then “stated he shot the victim right in the heart.”
The report also states that a number of details in the suspect’s account of how the incident unfolded changed numerous times during the interview with police.
Meanwhile, officers processing the scene at the club obtained surveillance footage that captured the shooting, which provided a “very different” account of the incident than what Hill described.
In the footage, the victim could be seen pushing the suspect out of the business and once outside, the footage showed the suspect pulling a firearm from his waistband and then he proceeded to fire at least one shot at the victim, who “immediately reacted and fell backwards.”
The suspect then approached and started motioning at the injured man who was lying on the ground.
A number of witnesses told officers that just prior to the shooting, Hill was inside the business and started acting belligerent, and as the suspect’s anger escalated, it was the victim who intervened by removing him from the bar, which is when the suspect shot the man.
Officers also learned that Hill had reportedly pointed a gun at one of the witnesses as he followed the bystander around a parked car near where the shooting occurred.
During the interview, Hill learned the incident was captured on video, and he “subsequently changed his description of the incident — again,” the detective noted.
Shortly thereafter, the suspect told officers they would find in his trailer the gun reportedly used during the incident
Early Saturday morning, the suspect was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail. The detective requested he be held without bail, citing that Hill showed “an extreme disregard for the safety of the public as he opened fire with numerous individuals in the establishment.”
The detective added that Hill became increasingly erratic and that during the interview, the suspect admitted to being angry at the victim just prior to shooting him.
The request was approved when the judge signed a no-bail order early Saturday morning.
On Monday, Hill was formally charged with one count each of aggravated murder and discharge of a firearm — both first-degree felonies. He also faces one count of using a concealed weapon in the commission of a crime, a second-degree felony, as well as one third-degree felony count of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon under the influence of alcohol or drugs — a misdemeanor.
Hill is scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court in St. George on Tuesday and remains in custody without bail.
Family and friends of Moore have set up a fundraising campaign to raise money for the youth softball coach, which can be found on gofundme.com. St. George News reminds readers to use proper discretion when making online donations.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
St. George news reporter Nick Yamashita contributed to this report.
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