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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A judge has ordered two men to stand trial for the shooting death of a teenager in the parking lot of a downtown Salt Lake City Sears store.
Sixteen-year-old Diego Mendoza was shot four times and killed Jan. 6 after he and two other men got into an argument with Luis Salazar Mendoza and Alexis Rodriguez near a taco stand in front of the store.
A second man, Edner Orona was also shot, but survived.
3rd District Judge Paul Maughan ordered a trial after a preliminary hearing last week.
During the hearing, Salt Lake City police detective Aaron Levitt said that during questioning Luis Salazar Mendoza said he shot the two men because they had harrassed him about his race and asked if he was in a gang.
Also testifying were two women who called 911 after the shooting and supplied police with a license plate number from a car that sped away from the parking lot.
Starlite Martinez said she heard Rodriguez tell Luis Salazar Mendoza in Spanish to "kill him," referring to a wounded Orona.
Mendoza, 24, is charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder and second-degree felony attempted aggravated murder.
Rodriguez is charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and discharging a firearm from a vehicle, a third-degree felony. He is 17, but being tried as an adult.
An arraignment is set for Nov. 17.
Information from: Deseret News
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
