- Christian Elias Antonio Ruiz, 17, has been charged as an adult, with murder in an Aug. 31 shooting at a clandestine street racing competition.
- He's the second suspect to be charged with murder in the incident, which occurred in remote western Weber County.
- Ruiz allegedly fired two guns in response to the uproar caused by two fighting females.
OGDEN — A second suspect is now charged with murder in the Aug. 31 shooting incident at a clandestine street racing competition in western Weber County.
The Weber County Prosecutor's Office last Thursday, Oct. 16, charged Christian Elias Antonio Ruiz, 17, as an adult with murder, a first-degree felony, and several other counts in connection with the incident, which left an apparent spectator at the event, Jesus Cuadras Garcia, dead. Prosecutors charged Michael Robles Gaisbauer, 18, with murder in the incident on Sept. 4 and his case, filed in 2nd District Court in Ogden, winds its way through court.
The shooting occurred in a remote part of the county on 9350 West near 900 South, where a crowd had gathered for the races. Authorities haven't said much about what transpired, but Ruiz's charging papers offer some insights from officials. Two others sustained gunshot wounds in the incident, including Cuadras' young daughter, but survived.
"Witnesses reported that a large gathering was present to observe street races. During the races, two females engaged in a fight. The fight was followed by rapid gunshots coming from multiple directions," according to the police booking affidavit in the case.
An unnamed witness reported that Ruiz was at the competition and that Ruiz, who's from Ogden, allegedly told the witness he fired two weapons.
"Christian said that he was holding two guns, one in each hand. One was reported to be a Glock, and the other was a KelTec," reads the affidavit, referencing two brands of firearms. The witness "also confirmed that Christian sold the guns to an individual who was transporting them out of the state."
The affidavit further states that Ruiz appears in many photos holding guns "that match models of firearms that were reported to be used in the shooting and resulting homicide."
Aside from the murder charge, Ruiz faces two counts of felony discharge of a firearm and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor, third-degree felonies. He faces a sixth count of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
Robles Gaisbauer, of Perry, allegedly fired a weapon in response to the apparent uproar caused by the two females who fought, like Ruiz. Aside from the murder charge, he faces eight counts of felony discharge of a firearm and a count of obstruction of justice in the case. A preliminary hearing in his case is set for Nov. 18.
In all, according to Ruiz's charging papers, authorities found more than 30 shell casings at the scene of the Aug. 31 incident. Moreover, Ruiz's charging papers name a third co-defendant in the matter apart from Ruiz and Robles Gaisbauer — a 15-year-old boy who also allegedly fired a weapon during the uproar last August. No charges against the boy, a minor, show up in a search of 2nd District Court records, however.
Because he's a minor, Ruiz is being held in a juvenile detention facility without bail, according to his charging papers. Eli Keddington, also a defendant in the incident, faces a single count of obstruction of justice in the case, a second-degree felony. A preliminary hearing in his case is set for Nov. 6.
Cuadras Garcia suffered a gunshot wound to his head in the Aug. 31 incident and later died.
