‘Strong, Beautiful’ Woman Killed After Man Allegedly Fired Shot To ‘Scare People Off’ During Nightclub Fight: Cops

A woman in Utah is dead after a dispute between her boyfriend and a group of people at a nightclub later turned deadly, authorities said.

Around 2 a.m. on Nov. 20, police in Salt Lake City responded to the report of a shooting and learned the victim, Nicole Olsen, 29, had suffered a gunshot wound and was driven to the hospital, KSTU reported.

Olsen, the mother of a young son, was later pronounced dead at the University of Utah Hospital.

According to a police investigation, Olsen was at the nightclub with her boyfriend and he got into a fight with several people that included 37-year-old Dustin Pederson.

Security kicked Pederson and his friend out of the nightclub, but Olsen and her boyfriend were allowed to stay.

After the club closed, Olsen’s boyfriend got into a fight in the parking lot with Pederson’s friend and a shot was fired, police said.

During the altercation, a police report alleges, “The driver of a dark-colored BMW, later determined to be Pedersen, kept reaching into his waistband.”

Pedersen surrendered to authorities on Nov. 21 and allegedly said he was the driver of the vehicle, according to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

Kane County officials claimed Pedersen allegedly admitted he “fired a single round from his gun to scare people off during the fight inside the parking lot.”

Police said they recovered a firearm from Pedersen’s vehicle.

He was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on one count of murder.

Amanda Gafford, the victim's aunt, called her niece a "strong, beautiful and energetic" woman.

"She was a single mom who really worked to stay on a straight path for her son," Gafford said. "He was her inspiration for everything."