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SALT LAKE CITY — An 18-year-old was shot and killed and a 17-year-old was held hostage and assaulted following a party in a Sugar House neighborhood over a stolen bottle of alcohol, Salt Lake police said Sunday.
Levon Garo Meguerditchian, 38, was arrested for investigation of murder, obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm in the direction of a vehicle. He has been booked into Salt Lake County Jail.
About 4 a.m. on Saturday, police responded to 640 E. Wilmington Ave. to investigate a witness' report of someone shooting at a vehicle, according to police booking affidavit. Additional witnesses reported hearing fireworks but responding officers did not find a crime scene or victim and left the area.
About 6:30 a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to a report of a person with a weapon and a disturbance. When police arrived they located a vehicle that had crashed into two homes and discovered one person dead at the scene, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Mark Wian.
Detectives learned that Meguerditchian hosted a party at his residence near 609 E. Wilmington Ave. on Saturday. A group of party attendees allegedly stole a bottle of alcohol and began to leave the house in a car. Among the group was 18-year-old Abdourazak Mouhoumed who was driving the car, according to the affidavit.
Meguerditchian then pulled out a gun and shot several times at the vehicle Mouhoumed was driving, police said. The vehicle then crashed into two houses along 600 East with neither homeowners hearing the crash.
When police arrived on the scene at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and discovered Mouhoumed in the vehicle with a gunshot injury, officers began to perform first aid. Mouhoumed died at the scene. Police also learned that a 17-year-old was being held hostage inside Meguerditchian's house after being assaulted.
A SWAT team responded to the scene and located the 17-year-old with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, police said.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to call 801-799-3000 and reference case number 21-155612.
