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SALT LAKE CITY — An 18-year-old man shot in the head overnight following a house party died Sunday afternoon.
Salt Lake police had said that Cesar Gaxiola was not expected to survive and announced about 5:30 p.m. that he had died as a result of his injuries. Investigators said they did not know what city he lived in.
Gaxiola had been attending a party that spilled over into the sidewalks and streets and culminated in a shooting early Sunday in the city's East Central neighborhood.
About 4:30 a.m., officers received numerous calls of a shooting just west of the intersection of 600 South and 900 East. A man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition after being shot in the head, said Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking.
Investigators believe a group attending a house party nearby earlier that evening somehow ended up in the area of the shooting. All of the parties believed to be involved had been rounded up by detectives and were interviewed Sunday. Wilking said a weapon had also been recovered.
Police do not believe the shooting was gang- or drug-related, though a possible motive had not been revealed.
No one was arrested Sunday. The suspected gunman was released after he was questioned. Wilking said investigators are looking at whether self defense was a factor in the killing.
Investigators continued looking for witnesses Sunday. Anyone who saw the incident is asked to call police at 801-799-3000.
