- Ralfo Guajardo Jr., 22, is charged in U.S. District Court in connection with a Sept. 6 shooting incident in Ogden.
- Due to the federal charge, charges he faced in 2nd District Court in Ogden have been dismissed.
- A federal judge ordered he be detained pending a trial.
SALT LAKE CITY — An Ogden man involved in an alleged shooting incident at a party in September has been charged in U.S. District Court, and charges filed in 2nd District Court in Ogden have been dismissed.
Ralfo Guajardo Jr., 22, was charged by Weber County prosecutors on Sept. 9 with possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony; and seven counts of discharge of a weapon and obstruction of justice, third-degree felonies. He allegedly fired on a crowd of people on Sept. 6 at an Ogden apartment complex, according to charging papers.
Parallel to that, Guajardo was charged last month in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the Sept. 6 incident. In response, Weber County prosecutors moved to dismiss the state charges without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled, and 2nd District Court Judge Jason Nelson granted the motion on Monday.
Ogden officers responding to reports of gunfire on Sept. 6 at the apartment complex encountered a large crowd and many people saying they had been fired upon. Guajardo allegedly confessed to firing five rounds toward a group of people, Weber County charging papers say, leading to his arrest.
The federal charge alleges that Guajardo, having previously been convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year of prison, illegally owned a 9 mm handgun and ammunition. In a federal Oct. 7 motion asking that Guajardo be detained as his case goes through court, federal prosecutors allege that Guajardo had taken a knife from someone at a party on Sept. 6 and that the shooting occurred when that person tried to retrieve it.
"Seven spent shell casings were located inside of the apartment complex's hallway, just outside of an apartment door that was found to be connected to the incident," the motion reads. Guajardo, moreover, is "a local gang member," federal officials allege, and the owner of the knife sustained a "grazing, superficial wound" in the shooting incident.
A federal judge on Oct. 22 ordered that Guajardo be detained pending a trial in his case.
