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SALT LAKE CITY — A convenience store clerk was killed and another man critically injured in a stabbing at a Maverik store early Wednesday, officials said.
Police responded to the Maverik at 1270 S. Main Street at 3:29 a.m., according to Salt Lake Police Lt. Dave Cracroft. He said an altercation led to the male clerk and another man, who was a friend of the clerk, being stabbed.
The clerk, whose name was not released, died on scene from injuries suffered in the stabbing.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the second man was at the hospital in serious but stable condition, according to Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking. The man, who suffered multiple stab wounds, is expected to recover, he said.
Police later announced that Tukka Gonne, 21, was being booked into the Salt Lake County Jail in connection with the homicide, according to a tweet from Salt Lake police. He is expected to be booked for investigation of murder, aggravated assault and interfering with arresting officers, Wilking said.
Gonne was with a group of three other males that were in the parking lot of the Maverik, Wilking said. The clerk went out with his friend and confronted the group to ask them to leave the property. A physical altercation ensued between the clerk, his friend and the group of people, Wilking said.
The store's surveillance footage captured the incident, according to a Salt Lake City Police Department probable cause statement.
The video shows the victims approach the group in the parking lot while the surviving victim was holding what police later identified as a metal rod, according to the statement.
The surviving victim can be seen swinging or throwing the object at the group and then being knocked down by one of the members of the group, the statement said.
The video then shows Gonne approach the victims from behind with "a large shiny object in his right hand," the statement reads. He thrusts the object toward the victims and then he and the group flee the scene, according to police.
While leaving, Gonne drops the object then picks it up and takes it with him, police said. According to the statement, the store clerk is taken into the store where he collapses and dies. Police didn't elaborate in the statement on who took that victim into the store.
In the statement, police say "it is clear that the person taken into custody by SLCPD is the same person in the video," referencing to Gonne.
Police believe Gonne was seen with a knife and stabbed the clerk, according to Wilking. He also allegedly stabbed the clerk's friend, Wilking said. He said investigators believe Gonne was the "primary aggressor" in the altercation.
In the probable cause statement, police said Gonne admitted he was the person in the security footage and stated a fight did break out between him and the victims.
Police also took a juvenile into custody, according to Wilking. That person has since been released to their guardian and may face further charges in the juvenile justice system, he said. The nature of the juvenile's relationship to Gonne is not known, Wilking added.
Police used canine units to track the two people to a nearby location, where they were taken into custody, Wilking said.
Two other people remain at large, according to Cracroft. They have not been identified.
Many questions still as @slcpd investigate deadly stabbing across from Smith’s Ballpark. Maverik clerk killed; second person hospitalized. Who are they? What led to the fight? Who are the suspects? Is there video & what does it show? pic.twitter.com/2t7HKG9MAk
— Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) July 3, 2019
The clerk worked the overnight shift and friends occasionally came to visit him, Wilking said. It did not appear there were any security officers in the store at the time of the altercation, he added.
Maverik, Inc. Vice President David Hancock said in a statement the company's human resources team will provide assistance to any employees who may feel overwhelmed or be in need of grief counseling.
"It is with great sadness that Maverik had a valued member of our team killed last night at our store," he said in a prepared statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time."
Contributing: Shara Park, KSL TV; and Mary Richards, KSL Newsradio; Lauren Bennett, KSL.com
