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WEST VALLEY CITY — A boy who had just turned 15 has been charged with shooting a man inside the Valley Fair Mall.
The boy was charged in 3rd District Juvenile Court with two counts of shooting a gun causing injury, a second-degree felony; plus causing a riot and obstruction of justice, third-degree felonies. KSL.com has chosen not to name the boy at this time.
Just before 6 p.m. on May 8 inside the mall at 3601 S. 2700 West, a 25-year-old man was shot twice in the leg. His injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.
The victim said he was approached by at least three boys inside the mall who asked what gang he was affiliated with.
"Where are you from?" the 15-year-old boy asked, according to charging documents.
"I don't have to answer any of your questions. I don't gang bang," the man responded.
The man said he then pulled out a butterfly knife and kept it by his side as he tried to walk away. That's when the 15-year-old pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired twice at the man, striking him in the leg, the charges state.
The three teens ran from the mall after the shooting. Images of the trio taken from surveillance video were quickly sent to West Valley police. An officer responding to the mall spotted the boys at a nearby TRAX station, and they were taken into custody.
In December, the boy, then 14, was charged in 3rd District Juvenile Court with aggravated assault and causing a riot, third-degree felonies, for his alleged involvement in a fight at Kearns High School, during which another boy was briefly knocked unconscious, according to court records.
