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SALT LAKE CITY — Police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the shooting and killing of a man involved in a shell game at a sneaker convention in downtown Salt Lake City over the weekend.
Salt Lake police arrested Nogolweit "Nunu" Kug, 18, on Tuesday. Kug is suspected of killing Deliford Knight, 41, of Florida, on Saturday near 150 S. West Temple.
Kug arrived at the police station in downtown Salt Lake City to surrender at 4 p.m. Tuesday and was arrested by the SWAT team.
Kug is suspected of shooting and killing Knight outside the Salt Palace Convention Center over the weekend after police say money was lost in a shell game. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder and aggravated robbery.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said the investigation is not over.
"Our homicide detectives have dedicated more than 100 hours to this case," Brown said. "Although we have made these three key arrests, our investigation is still very much ongoing."
Knight was in Salt Lake City for a sneaker convention being held at the Salt Palace. Salt Lake police said Knight and his friends "have traveled to similar conventions in different states where they engaged in betting matches to defraud people out of money."
Knight's friends told detectives after the shooting that they play a "shell game" with victims in an effort to defraud them, according to a police booking affidavit.
On Saturday, police say Deng Mawut Buk, 22, Joshua Goy Riak, 21, and Kug were part of a group that played the game and lost. Investigators have not said which man played the shell game.
But after losing, that man "became angry and followed the victim out of the Salt Palace and into traffic on West Temple" on Saturday afternoon, the affidavit states. The three suspects caught up with Knight and fought with him.
"During the fight, one of the suspects pulled a gun and pointed it at the victim," according to the affidavit. "The suspect with the gun kicked the victim and then shot him in the chest. The victim fell to the ground."
Salt Lake police believe Kug was the one who pulled the trigger. The three men then went through Knight's pockets while he was on the ground, took his cellphone and cash and then ran, the affidavit says.
On Sunday, using surveillance and cellphone video from witnesses, police tracked down Buk and arrested him with the help of the Salt Lake City SWAT team in the area of 1600 W. High Ave. When police located Buk, they say he had cut his hair in an effort to avoid being detected.
KSL.com has confirmed that Buk is the brother of Buk Mawut Buk, 23, who is charged with murdering University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe.
On Monday, police caught up with Riak in the area of 1100 W. Modesto Ave. and arrested him. Before his arrest, investigators say Riak had contacted his probation officer and informed him that he was going to rent a car and drive to Alabama, the affidavit states.
Like Kug, both Deng Buk and Riak were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder and aggravated robbery.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at 801-799-3000.
Contributing: Matt Brooks
