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BOUNTIFUL — A Millcreek man has been charged with shooting and killing a man during a drug deal gone bad in Bountiful last month.
Darius Jay Farr, 20, was charged Friday with murder, a first-degree felony; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; plus possession of a firearm by a restricted person and distribution or arranging to distribute a controlled substance, third-degree felonies.
About 1 a.m. on Feb. 29, police responded to a report of gunshots near 1950 S. Bonneview Drive in Bountiful. When officers arrived, they found Uatisone Kelemete, 20, of West Bountiful, lying in the street with a gunshot wound to his stomach. He was pronounced dead about an hour later.
A total of 18 bullet casings were found at the scene of the shooting.
Bountiful police later learned that Farr had gone to St. Mark's Hospital in Millcreek at 1:42 a.m. with a gunshot wound to his right hand and his left leg. He initially told police he had driven to Bountiful, where a man trying to carjack him shot him when he refused to get out of his car, according to charging documents.
Police say Farr initially couldn't explain why he was in Bountiful, told them he didn't have a weapon and didn't shoot anyone. But when told that Kelemete had died, Farr replied, "Ya bro, I shot him. He shot at me, bro, he shot me (expletive) first and then I drove away, bro," the charges state.
"Medical records from St. Marks show (Farr) had THC, alcohol and opiates in his blood," charging documents say.
While searching Farr's apartment, police said they observed "blood throughout the residence," a 9mm gun with blood on it and a "large amount" of THC vape cartridges, according to the charges. Officers also reported finding a Snapchat account belonging to Farr where he communicated with an account belonging to Kelemete.
Farr told police he had agreed to sell 50 THC vape cartridges to Kelemete for $1,000, and Farr brought his gun since he had never met Kelemete before, the charges state. He said Kelemete walked up to his car window but got nervous when he saw Farr's gun, so at the request of Kelemete, Farr placed his gun on the floorboard by his foot.
"(Farr) said they were conducting the drug transaction when he saw Kelemete move toward the front of the car and that he had a gun in his left hand. (Farr) stated he grabbed his gun from the floorboard and in one motion racked the gun and fired at Kelemete as Kelemete fired a gun at him," according to the charging documents. "(Farr) told police he wasn't sure who shot first, but that he probably did. Defendant stated he believed he was defending himself when he shot Kelemete."
In surveillance video obtained from a house nearby, police say Kelemete can be heard saying, "No wait ... hey, hey, hey ... homie, homie," as both men fired at each other.
In the court documents, prosecutors say a defendant is prevented from claiming self-defense because the shooting occurred during a felony drug transaction.
"Darius has previously been listed as a suspect in a shooting that occurred in Clinton in 2022," Bountiful police wrote in a police booking affidavit, which also says he has a criminal history that includes assault, possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.
