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SALT LAKE CITY — A Woods Cross man was convicted of murder by a jury on Thursday for shooting and killing a 17-year-old in a 2017 drive-by shooting in Magna.
Javier Saldana-Ibarra, 24, was found guilty of murder and felony discharge of a firearm causing injury, first-degree felonies, and two counts of felony discharge of a firearm, a second-degree felony.
The jury trial last six days, and the jury deliberated for just over four hours Thursday afternoon.
The incident occurred on Aug. 19, 2017, near Breeze Lane and 3380 South in Magna. When police arrived, they found 17-year-old William Ryan dead on the scene with a gunshot wound to his head.
A 19-year-old who was shot in the foot told officers a white Volkswagen Jetta approached the driveway at Ryan's home where he, Ryan and two others were standing, charging documents state. Both driver's side windows were rolled down and witnesses reported between six and 10 shots.
There were four or five people in the vehicle, which turned its headlights off as it approached, and the driver, Saldana-Ibarra, was a member of a rival gang, the charges state.
Saldana-Ibarra admitted to officers that the white car was his and that he was there. He said he thought they were going to go fight, but others in the car began shooting.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill thanked the efforts of those who worked on the case.
"Gun violence harms our community, individuals and families. We will never tolerate gang or gun violence and we will always prosecute it to the fullest extent possible," he said.
Saldana-Ibarra is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 6, 2024.
Ryan was a member of the Norteno gang, police said, and in 2019 there was another shooting at the Taylorsville Memorial Cemetery while members of the Norteno gang were gathered at his grave.
