- Vincent Thomas, 45, charged with rioting and assault after a fight outside a Salt Lake bar.
- The incident involved 15-20 people, leading to a shooting injuring one man.
- The suspected shooter faces multiple felony charges with gang enhancements.
SALT LAKE CITY — A second man has been charged in connection with a large fight that culminated in a shooting outside a Salt Lake bar.
Vincent James Thomas, 45, of West Jordan, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with rioting, a third-degree felony, and assault, a class A misdemeanor.
On March 14, police responded to reports of a fight and a shooting near 165 E. 200 South.
"Witnesses on scene reported that a large fight of 15-20 people began inside Johnny's on Second and the fight then spilled outside the bar on the sidewalk," according to charging documents. A man was then seen firing multiple rounds in the air, "and then pointed the gun to the east and fired additional rounds."
The victim, a man, "was shot once and had received surgery to have his spleen removed and had internal injuries," according to court documents.
After shooting the victim, witnesses watched "the shooter walk in the middle of the intersection, take off his shirt, posture up and flex" while yelling gang slogans, the charges state.
Angelo Mark Garcia Jr., 40, was charged last week in 3rd District Court with shooting a gun causing serious injury and aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, first-degree felonies; being a restricted person in possession of a gun and seven counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, second-degree felonies; rioting, a third-degree felony, and two counts of improper discharge of a gun, a class A misdemeanor. Most of the charges come with gang-related penalty enhancements if convicted.
After reviewing surveillance video, investigators determined that Thomas, a documented gang member, was "an active aggressor in the incident leading to the shooting," the charges allege. "Detectives identified Thomas in surveillance, participating in the fight and throwing gang signs while walking away. Thomas was further observed hitting one victim in the head."
A 22-year-old man is listed in court documents as a co-defendant to Thomas and Garcia, but formal charges had not been filed as of Friday.
