On the evening of December 30, 2023, Jeremy Robert Martin, a 45-year-old White/Caucasian male, was shot and killed in Salt Lake City, Utah. The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m. in a driveway located at 1089 W. Wenco Circle. Martin was shot once in the chest following what police describe as an argument. Despite life-saving efforts by first responders who arrived to find him unresponsive on the ground, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Surveillance footage from the area captured the fatal encounter, showing an individual firing a gun at Martin from a short distance. After being shot, Martin stumbled and collapsed. The shooter was then seen getting into a white four-door vehicle and speeding away from the location. Investigators were able to identify the vehicle's license plate from the video, which led them to the registered owner.
In connection with the homicide, police arrested 32-year-old Vanessa Nicole Johnson. She was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and has since been charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and obstructing justice. According to police, a woman who was with Johnson at the time of the shooting stated they had been arguing with Martin. The witness told detectives that she heard a loud noise and then saw Johnson holding a gun. She claimed Johnson got back into the car, threw the gun into the center console, and instructed her to drive because Johnson had been hit with pepper spray during the confrontation. The witness also informed officers that Johnson had threatened to harm her family if she spoke to anyone about the shooting.
The firearm used in the shooting had not been recovered at the time of Johnson's arrest. Details about the nature of the argument that preceded the shooting or the relationship between Martin and Johnson have not been publicly released by authorities. Johnson had a prior arrest in August of the same year, where she was accused of shooting at another individual during a dispute over a parking space.
