- A 21-year-old man was arrested for investigation of killing another man in a Midvale shooting.
- Mason Snowball was shot and killed on Sept. 18 in a car near La Salle Drive.
- Police say they used surveillance footage to identify Christiano Madison and a juvenile suspect.
MIDVALE — A 21-year-old man was arrested for investigation of murder in a Midvale shooting that left a West Valley City man dead.
On Sept. 18, police responded to a scene where Mason Snowball, 23, of West Valley City, was found dead in a car near La Salle Drive and Jackson Street.
Unified police detective Quin Wilkins confirmed a car crash had occurred, but it wasn't what caused the fatality. Snowball had sustained a gunshot wound, and a homicide investigation was initiated, police said.
"I can confirm that there was a fatality, and there was a car accident," Wilkins said. "However, the car accident was not what caused the fatality."
On Sept. 19, police arrested a 14-year-old boy for investigation of homicide in relation to the incident.
On Friday, police arrested Christiano Antonio Madison, 21, for investigation of murder and aggravated robbery.
Using surveillance footage from neighboring residences and witness interviews, police determined two suspects had left the area right after a gunshot was fired. The investigation led police to a specific house in Midvale, where officers served a warrant and took several people into custody for interviews, according to a police booking affidavit.
Detectives learned the suspects intended to "rob a guy of his weed," the affidavit states. Police were led to another residence where they arrested a juvenile who had set up a buy through Instagram with Snowball, according to the affidavit. It is unclear if this juvenile is the same as the 14-year-old arrested on Sept. 19.
That juvenile had several messages on his phone referencing a person named "Menace" who was identified as Madison, according to the affidavit. Photographs on Instagram show Madison wearing the same clothes he was wearing on surveillance footage the day of the homicide and in possession of a gun that matched the description of the one used in the shooting, the affidavit said.
Police learned Madison was on probation and had missed his last check-in, resulting in several warrants issued for him, the affidavit states. Court records show Madison has been convicted of robbery, possession of a weapon by a restricted person and assault.
"(Madison) has been a fugitive and was a fugitive when the murder occurred," the affidavit says.
Evidence shows all of the suspects involved are part of the same criminal gang, police said.
