Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Nov. 15, 2023 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
Attempted murder, felony discharge of firearm charges filed as victim recovers
A Kanosh man faces a felony attempted murder charge after an alleged shooting Saturday evening.
Zachary Joe Pikyavit, 31, was taken into custody when he turned himself into the sheriff’s office Sunday. He had earlier fled the scene of a shooting near Meadow, sparking warnings from local law enforcement.
A probable cause report in the incident reports deputies met with a witness at the Fillmore Community hospital following the initial shooting call.
The witness told the responding deputy she, the victim, Pikyavit, and a juvenile were riding together in a vehicle when Pikyavit began to get upset and was let out of the vehicle. The report reports the victim left the vehicle as well to comfort Pikyavit. Pikyavit then brandished a .22 caliber handgun and “fired multiple shots,” one of which hit the victim in the abdomen.
“The witness said Zachary left the area on foot and he was still armed,” the report states. The witness then transported the victim to the hospital.
In response, law enforcement began to search the area, issuing a press release early Sunday morning, stating Pikyavit had not been located, and was to be considered armed and dangerous.
The victim was airlifted to a northern Utah hospital to undergo surgery. MCSO Cpt. Patrick Bennett confirmed the victim was in stable condition, but still hospitalized.
Pikyavit later turned himself in later Sunday morning without incident, and allegedly confirmed he had fired warning shots at the victim, but was unaware he had shot him.
Pikyavit is charged with first-degree felony attempted murder and three counts of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm. He is currently being held in the Millard County Jail without bail.
Additional details on the case were not available by press deadline.
“We’re trying to avoid the court of public opinion and keep a good investigation,” Bennett said.
Pikyavit does have a criminal history.
Most recently he was arrested in June 2021 on Class A misdemeanor assault and domestic violence charges. This followed a 2020 Millard County case where he was charged with misdemeanor drug and weapon related offenses, along with providing false identification to law enforcement.
In May 2019, he was arrested for misdemeanor providing false identification to law enforcement, and in 2018 he was arrested in Cedar City for assault, domestic violence and intoxication.
He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in the shooting case Wednesday morning.
