- Isaias Carranza, 16, has been charged with aggravated murder in this week's killing of Ben Lomond High student Mason Caballero.
- Ogden police are seeking Carranza, who is charged with 29 felonies, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
- Authorities urge the public not to approach Carranza if they come across him.
OGDEN — An Ogden teen, still on the loose, has been charged with aggravated murder and 28 other criminal charges in connection with the killing this week of a Ben Lomond High School student.
Isaias Emanuel Carranza, 16, is charged as an adult in 2nd District Court with aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder and 25 counts of felony discharge of a firearm, all first-degree felonies. He is also charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor, a second-degree felony.
"Isaias Emanuel Carranza has been identified as the suspect in this incident. A warrant of arrest for aggravated murder has been issued. If located, do not approach and contact your local law enforcement," reads a wanted poster released Friday by Ogden police. He's described as 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 175 pounds.
Mason Caballero, 16, was shot Wednesday in a neighborhood near Ben Lomond High School in Ogden in some sort of incident soon after school had ended for the day, and he subsequently died. He was brought to the high school in a car after the incident, where an Ogden Police Department school resource officer and other school officials attempted to render aid.
The incident prompted shock and sorrow in the school community and beyond.
According to the arrest warrant, Caballero was shot while riding in a car targeted by gunfire from the occupants of another car. The court documents don't give a reason for the apparent attack but say Carranza was affiliated with a gang. All 29 counts against Carranza face potential gang enhancement penalties.
"Investigators learned from witnesses and video surveillance that the victim vehicle was approaching Fifth Street and Gramercy Avenue, which is just south of Bonneville Elementary and Highland Junior High, when they began getting shot at by the occupants of a black vehicle, which was following them," it reads. "As the victim vehicle tried to escape, the shots increased in number and speed."
The court documents say Caballero was sitting in the backseat of the victim vehicle and that he was struck by a bullet entering through the trunk. That bullet entered the driver's seat in front of him "barely missing the driver," the arrest warrant reads. Two others were also in the vehicle, both in the front.
Videos reviewed by authorities show that the shooting started on Gramercy Avenue in a residential neighborhood and continued north along the street past the ex-Bonneville Elementary School and Highland Junior High School. Bonneville closed as an elementary school at the end of the 2024-2025 school year and now houses a "small specialized program for students," according to the Ogden School District.
"Reviewing the video footage revealed that the shooting began in the 500 block of Gramercy Avenue and continued north to Second Street as the suspects chased the victims while firing rounds," the arrest warrant reads.
Carranza was driving the suspect vehicle, a Cadillac CTS, according to the warrant, leaning out the auto's window and shooting as he pursued the other vehicle, a Nissan Versa. Video authorities reviewed, the document continues, "also revealed that the front seat passenger had his right arm out of his window, pointing a handgun at the victims as well, presumably firing rounds at the white Nissan Versa."
In all, investigators found 22 fired casings at the scene, 14 in front of the vacant Bonneville Elementary building and eight in front of Highland Junior High. The Cadillac CTS was found abandoned in Roy, with three more casings found on or in the car.
The arrest warrant references Carranza attending class at Ogden High School on Monday, Oct. 6, and notes that the Ogden Police Department's school resource officer was familiar with him. The suspect is pictured as an Ogden High School sophomore in the school's 2024-2025 yearbook.
During a search of Carranza's room at his Ogden home on Wednesday, authorities found "multiple firearm parts, including two Glock magazines, a speed loader and grip extender."
Family and friends of the victim, Caballero, held a vigil for him outside Ben Lomond High School on Wednesday, lamenting his death and lauding him.
"I know he touched the lives of many, and he always brightened the day when he showed up," said Jackson Payne, Caballero's older brother. "He was goofy. He was funny. He had the biggest heart I knew."
Adayla Gama, Mason's cousin, said she was shocked to hear of her relative's death.
"He was never gang-affiliated," Gama said. "He was always a good kid, very bright, super smiley."
Ogden and Weber-Morgan Homicide Task Force officials have "worked tirelessly" to investigate the case, Ogden police said in a statement. Authorities advise anyone who knows of Carranza's whereabouts to call 911 or Weber County dispatchers at 801-395-8221.
