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WEST VALLEY CITY — A 14-year-old boy has died after someone shot him in the face early Thursday at a park.
Romeo Rodriguez, of Salt Lake City, died Thursday, according to West Valley City Police.
The teen was a passenger in a car and was out cruising with three friends early Thursday morning, police said.
The car stopped at Kings Pointe Park near 4000 South and 1500 West in West Valley City.
Another group approached them on foot. Words were exchanged, and shots were fired at the car. A bullet passed through a side windshield, hitting a 14-year-old passenger in the face.
Friends took the injured teen to Jordan Valley Medical Center and stayed there. Police arrived around 3:15 a.m., and said the friends were not being cooperative. The 14-year-old was flown to Primary Children's Hospital in critical condition.
Police are looking into whether the shooting was gang related.
By 6 p.m. Thursday, no arrests had been made and there was no information about possible suspects, police said.
A neighbor said she awoke around 3 a.m. to the sound of four to six gunshots.
The 14 year old who was shot overnight has died. He has been identified as Romeo Rodriguez, a resident of Salt Lake City. pic.twitter.com/5EwwuGL9BP
— WVC Police (@WVCPD) August 3, 2017
"When the (police) told me someone had been shot I literally had to kind of grab onto his shoulder because I was in shock," she said.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Contributing: Caitlin Burchill and Peter Samore
