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SALT LAKE CITY — Two men accused of using an AK-47 to shoot and kill a 16-year-old boy who had been egging cars will face murder charges.
Fortunato Nato Villagrana, 22, and Martin Antonio Cruz, 22, were charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, a first-degree felony; and two counts of discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.
A $1 million arrest warrant was issued for Villagrana, who originally was named a person of interest in August by the Salt Lake City Police Department but as of Tuesday remained on the run.
The charges come on the heels of a major breakthrough in the seven-month investigation when police arrested Cruz on Friday. He was being held in the Salt Lake County Jail Tuesday on $1 million bond.
On July 5, Paris Gustin was inside a Honda Civic with two other teenagers who were driving around and "egging" people and other vehicles in the Fairpark neighborhood near 600 North and 1100 West.
Gustin, who was in the front passenger seat, threw an egg through the open window of a Nissan, which hit the driver, Villagrana, in the ear, according to charging documents.
An upset Villagrana drove to his home to retrieve an AK-47, the charges state.
Jonathan Ivan Padilla-Lopez, 23, who was also originally named a person of interest in the case, was arrested in September in a separate case after allegedly ramming a West Valley police patrol car during a chase.
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Police arrest man in July killing of Salt Lake teenager
Salt Lake police made a major breakthrough Friday in the high-profile shooting death of a 16-year-old boy.He told investigators that he saw Villagrana near his residence on the morning of the shooting, and that he "was upset and said some boys in a white car threw something at him," according to the charges. Villagrana then grabbed a "big gun" that had a "big … clip" and "stated they were going to go look for the boys," the charges state.
Cruz got into the driver's seat and Villagrana in the passenger seat.
A short time later, Gustin's car passed the Nissan again. The Nissan did a U-turn and chased the Honda, the charges state. While chasing the vehicle, Villagrana leaned out the front passenger window and fired several shots from about a foot away, striking Gustin in the head and back, according to charging documents.
Gustin yelled to his friends that he had been shot, the charges state.
Two of the Honda's tires were shot, and five shell casings were found at the intersection of 600 North and 100 West, according to court documents.
