- Tyler Traveon Mhaka, 23, was charged with attempted murder Friday after an alleged road rage incident.
- Mhaka shot a man while chasing him into a Utah liquor store Feb. 26, charges say.
- An off-duty UHP trooper at the store intervened and shot Mhaka.
TAYLORSVILLE — A Magna man who was shot by a trooper inside a liquor store was charged Friday with attempted murder on the accusation that he shot another man at the store following a road rage confrontation.
Tyler Traveon Mhaka, 23, is charged in 3rd District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony.
Investigators say the series of events began on Feb. 26 when a man was stopped at a red light at 3500 South and 2700 West waiting to turn right. The car behind him "kept honking his horn," according to charging documents, but the man says he couldn't move because of pedestrians in the road. Still, the driver behind him kept honking.
The victim made a hand gesture toward the other driver, Mhaka, before turning into a Utah State Liquor Store at 4451 S. 2700 West.
As the man began walking into the store, Mhaka pulled up and "started firing a gun at (him), hitting him in the arm and back," according to the charges.
The victim ran into the liquor store, and Mhaka followed while "actively firing his gun." The man suffered gunshot wounds to his arm, back and right leg, the charges state. Seven bullet casings were recovered by police.
Mhaka didn't stop shooting until an off-duty Utah Highway Patrol trooper already in the store fired back, according to the charges. Mhaka was arrested by other officers in the parking lot of the liquor store and taken to a local hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound.
"During the investigation, detectives learned that the defendant is a documented Taliban gang member and had just returned from Dubai. Additionally, it's believed that the defendant has family ties in the Middle East," the charges state. The Salt Lake District Attorney's Office clarified on Friday that the gang Mhaka allegedly belongs to is local, and he was not a member of the militant organization in Afghanistan.
The state has requested that Mhaka remain in custody without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.
