On a Thursday afternoon, the second of September in 1971, a 23-year-old White/Caucasian male named Michael Preston "Mike" Bown was going about his work day. He was a deliveryman, and his route had taken him to Natters' Market, a local grocery store located at 3065 South 700 East in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was around two o'clock, and Michael was in the process of delivering bread to the market, a routine task on what should have been an ordinary day.
The tranquility of the afternoon was
shattered when an armed man entered the market with the intent to commit robbery. In a sudden and violent turn of events, the suspect opened fire. Michael, caught in the middle of the violent act, was shot. A female clerk, Carolyn Yvonne Kingston, who was 35 years old, was also shot by the assailant. The gunman's violence did not end there; he also attempted to shoot another delivery person who was present at the scene, but fortunately, the weapon failed to discharge.
The aftermath of the shooting was tragic. Michael Preston Bown died at the scene of the crime, his life cut short in a senseless act of violence. The clerk, Carolyn Kingston, succumbed to her injuries later. The suspect, described only as an armed male, managed to flee the scene. Despite investigations into the double homicide, the case has remained unsolved for decades, becoming a cold case handled by the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake. To this day, the identity of the shooter remains unknown, and no arrests have been made in connection with the murders of Michael Bown and Carolyn Kingston.
