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TOOELE — A West Valley man was charged Friday with exchanging shots with a teen boy during a suspected gang-related shootout in July in Tooele.
Derek Wayne Davis, 20, was booked into the Tooele County Jail Thursday and charged Friday in 3rd District Court with firing a gun causing serious injury, a first-degree felony; possession of a gun by a restricted person, a second-degree felony; five counts of illegally firing a gun and causing a riot, third-degree felonies; and failing to stop at the command of police, a class A misdemeanor.
Tooele police responded to an apartment complex at 152 E. 870 North on a report of shots fired on July 16. Shortly after officers arrived, they were notified that a 16-year-old boy had shown up at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg, according to a police booking affidavit.
Detectives learned that the teen and a man got into a fistfight and were threatening each other, the affidavit states. Both the teen and the man were with groups of people.
"(The teen) threatened other individuals at the pool, which made them worry that he was leaving to get a gun. Within minutes (he) returned, and witnesses saw him in the area where shots were fired from," according to the affidavit. "Another witness also stated they saw (the teen) 'racking' what seemed to be a handgun."
As detectives processed the scene, they reported finding "evidence on the scene (that) showed two shooters shot towards each other."
Other witnesses stated that "gang slurs and threats" were exchanged prior to the shooting. Both the teen and Davis claimed after they were arrested that each was defending themselves, according to the arrest report.
After the 16-year-old was treated at a Salt Lake hospital for the gunshot wound to his leg, he was transported back to Tooele and booked into juvenile detention for investigation of attempted murder, according to police. Several other juveniles connected to the case have also been arrested for investigation of obstruction.
The affidavit notes that Davis is on probation "and has been on the run for over one year."
