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SALT LAKE CITY — Three men who police say were involved in a gang-related shootout during which nearly 50 shots were exchanged in a grocery store parking lot now face criminal charges.
Christian Uriel Catemaxca Trujillo, 18, of Millcreek, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with three counts of possession of a weapon by a restricted person and six counts of shooting at a person, all second-degree felonies.
Armando Ramirez, 31, of West Valley City, was charged with shooting causing serious injury, a first-degree felony; and possession of a weapon by a restricted person and two counts of shooting at a person, second-degree felonies.
Axel Jose Pineda-Mondragon, 22, of Midvale, was charged with shooting causing serious injury, a first-degree felony; and possession of a weapon by a restricted person and two counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, second-degree felonies.
On June 9, about 10:15 p.m., three vehicles pulled into a grocery store parking lot, 3292 S. Richmond Street. Twelve people got out of the vehicles and began walking to a nearby nightclub.
"Approximately 10 minutes later, the 12 individuals walked back to the three vehicles and left the parking lot. Approximately 8 minutes later, 11 individuals walked out of Liquid Joe's to the Harmons parking lot and stood around some cars and a white truck," according to charging documents.
Two of the vehicles that had previously left returned to the parking lot a short time later. A man in one of the vehicles "opened the driver's side door and began firing multiple rapid-fire rounds at the white truck," the charges state.
"This shooting involved over 15 people, at least six different guns and nearly 50 shell casings," a police booking affidavit states.
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the ankle and dropped off at a local hospital by one of the vehicles.
After collecting videos from surveillance cameras as well as other evidence, detectives determined that the shooting involved rival gang members and that all three defendants "shot multiple times across a public parking lot, which caused witnesses and people at the scene to run and or hide to avoid being shot."
The three men were arrested after detectives and SWAT team members served several search warrants and kept surveillance on the vehicles allegedly involved.
