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The man accused of shooting a Vernal city police officer and then firing multiple shots into an occupied home has been charged with two counts of attempted aggravated murder.

Jesus E. “Jesse” Martinez, 24, also was charged Wednesday in 8th District Court with multiple first-degree felonies, including aggravated burglary.

On Saturday, at about 10:20 p.m., officers were called to a home at 150 Dale Ave. after witnesses spotted Martinez peering through the home’s windows, according to charging documents. The home belongs to Martinez’s ex-girlfriend, who lives there with the pair’s children, her new boyfriend, and the man’s son from a previous relationship.

When Vernal police officer Dustin Gray approached the home, court records state Martinez stood up from behind an SUV parked in the driveway and fired four shots at the officer. Gray was hit once in the upper left leg with a .40-caliber slug. The bullet missed the bone and major arteries and passed cleanly through Gray’s leg, said acting Vernal Police Chief Dylan Rooks.

The wounded officer made his way behind another vehicle for cover. That’s when police say Martinez walked over to the home and fired at least eight shots through a window into the basement living room. Rooks said Martinez jumped through the window and attacked his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend, Wes Snyder.

“Martinez put the gun to the guy’s head and says, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ ” Rooks said.

The two men began a “violent struggle” for the gun, Rooks said. Martinez’s ex-girlfriend, who was in the home at the time, took the three children upstairs and hid with them under a bed until additional officers arrived.

Rooks said responding officers determined Gray was stable, then approached the house, only to find Martinez and Snyder fighting. Police entered the home and took both men into custody. Rooks said that in the chaos, it was unclear who had wounded Gray and shot at the home, making it necessary to handcuff both individuals for officer safety.

Snyder was released from custody a short time later. Gray, Martinez and Snyder all were taken to Ashley Regional Medical Center for treatment. Gray was released from the hospital Sunday afternoon.

In June 2008, Martinez was convicted of misdemeanor charges of domestic violence in the presence of a child, simple assault and fleeing from police. He was ordered to serve six days in jail, spend three years on probation and pay a $1,600 fine. The victim in the case is the same woman Martinez is accused of seeking out Saturday night, according to police.