James Stacey Riedman, 47, has been jailed following an investigation into the shooting death of his 24-year-old roommate, Kade Tuttle, in Salt Lake City. Riedman faces charges of murder, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice-capitol, a second-degree felony, according to a November 4 report from Gephardt Daily.
The incident took place at an apartment on 768 N. Redwood Road. According to arrest documents, Riedman had rented a room in the apartment he owned to Tuttle several weeks prior. Riedman told police that he decided to lock Tuttle out on Tuesday, Nov. 3, because he felt he was being taken advantage of and had safety concerns regarding Tuttle's behavior.
Riedman stated that after being locked out, Tuttle returned and began knocking on the door. Riedman claimed he became scared for his safety after Tuttle yelled that he was going to kick the door down. Riedman said he retrieved a firearm and fired one round through the door with the intent to scare Tuttle. While Riedman admitted to hearing a gasp after the shot, he did not check for injuries, call emergency services, or report the incident immediately. Instead, he reportedly hid the firearm and the spent cartridge casing in his bedroom.
Salt Lake City Police responded to the scene and found Tuttle unresponsive outside the apartment door. Although life-saving attempts were made, Tuttle was deceased, according to Detective Michael Ruff of the Salt Lake City Police. During the incident, Riedman refused to exit the apartment, requiring a SWAT team and negotiators to be called. He surrendered after approximately three hours of negotiations.
The arrest document noted that a teenager occupied an apartment directly across from Riedman's unit at the time of the shooting. Riedman is currently being held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail.
