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WEST VALLEY CITY — A Tremonton man who police believe was injured during a shootout between two groups in a grocery store parking lot is now facing criminal charges.
Jesus Castillo-Chairez, 21, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with four counts of discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.
About 10:50 p.m. on Nov. 20, multiple shots were fired in the parking lot near Anaya's Market, 4122 S. 4000 West in West Valley City. By the time police arrived, all those involved were gone. But officers found numerous shell casings, a shoe and blood on the ground. The store was closed at the time.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video from the store and observed two people standing in front of the store when an SUV pulls up and two more people get out, including Castillo-Chairez, according to charging documents.
"A few seconds later, the males begin to push each other before Castillo-Chairez pulls a firearm out of his waistband and fires four rounds toward the two unknown males," the charges state.
Castillo-Chairez and his partner then run after the other two men, but are seen in the video a short time later running back toward their vehicle, at which time Castillo-Chairez is shot in the leg, according to the charges. The driver continues to return fire as the two men get back into their SUV and drive away.
Police say six stray shots hit units at the nearby Aspenwood Apartments, but no one was injured.
West Valley police continued looking for the shooting victim the next morning but no local hospitals had reported treating a gunshot injury. Police later learned that Castillo-Chairez went to Brigham City to seek medical treatment for a gunshot wound to his lower left leg and was transferred to Ogden Regional Hospital due to the severity of the injury, charging documents state.
Police say when he was admitted to the hospital, the man was missing a shoe.
Court documents do not say whether police have identified the other three men involved.
