MIDVALE, Utah, Aug. 4, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 23-year-old man was booked into jail Sunday after Unified police responded to shots-fired calls from eight people at 11:18 p.m. Saturday.
“Complainants also stated people were running eastbound, screaming,” says a Unified Police affidavit filed in the arrest of Jaden Stone.
“When officers arrived in the area, they found multiple 9mm rounds and .40 caliber rounds on Acoma Road in Midvale.” The rounds were found in the 600 east block of the road, the statement says.
“One of the suspects was identified as Jaden Stone.”
One witness was a relative of Stone, who was having a birthday party, thrown by a friend, when three males and a female, showed up, uninvited, she told police.
“One of these unknown individuals approached Jaden Stone and gave him a handgun in exchange for money,” the statement says. “After this exchange took place, the male that sold Jaden the firearm left the home. The three males and the female that remained on scene then got into a verbal argument with Jaden. (Stone’s relative) did not hear what the argument was about due to the music being loud.”
The affidavit says Stone told his relative the gun “has a body on it,” and yelled at her, threatening to fight her. Soon after, he and three other party guests got into a gray car.
“She said shortly afterwards … she hears gunshots. When she looks outside, (his relative) said she saw Jaden shooting.”
A nearby surveillance camera caught an unknown person getting into the gray car, “then drives down the road and Jaden can be heard yelling at them.” Three people previously in the car are recorded walking away, then walking off camera.
“Once out of view of the camera, multiple shots can be heard.”
Stone and the three others who walked away from the gray car can then be seen running behind the garage of a nearby residence.
“The driveway camera then shows Jaden emerge from behind the garage and fire three rounds…. Jaden then runs behind the garage and is caught on camera yelling at everyone to ‘Get down!’ Jaden is seen laying down prone on the ground, and telling the others repeatedly to ‘Get down!’
An unknown male then enters the camera’s view, “shirtless, running down the road and yelling, ‘Where’s my son?’ He runs back to the area where Jaden (and the three others) are hiding behind a garage and is yelling repeatedly, ‘Where’s my son?’ The male then runs away from the garage and back up the street,” the affidavit says.
Stone and two of the other involved people then got into a Jeep Grand Cherokee registered to Stone, and left the area. The third person, who goes by the street name T-Money, returned to the birthday party, the statement says.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee was later located in the 5900 south block of Stone Flower Way, in Kearns, and SWAT was called out to take Stone into custody.
Post Miranda, “Jaden eventually admitted that he bought the gun at the party for ‘my protection.’ He said as he exited the party with his group, individuals in a white Infinity began to shoot at them,” the affidavit says.
“Jaden said he and the individuals in the white Infinity then engaged in a gunfight where multiple rounds were fired.”
Stone told officers he fired three shots in the direction of the Infinity to let the occupants know he was armed, but his view was obstructed by a parked vehicle.
He said “T-Money” “threw up gang signs prior to the shooting. The individuals in the white Infiniti then began shooting. Jaden says he and the people in the Infiniti then engaged in an exchange of gunfire.”
A search warrant issued for the residence where Stone was located turned up the gun he had reportedly used, and “he admitted
that this firearm was the one he purchased tonight and fired. Jaden admitted he emptied the magazine to the firearm. The firearm was located with an empty magazine.”
Stone was arrested for investigation of eight counts of felony discharge of a firearm, shooting in the direction of a person, a third-degree felony. Charges, as always, will be determined by the County Attorney’s Office.
It was unclear whether additional arrests are pending, or whether anyone was known to be injured by gunfire.
Gephardt Daily will have additional information as it becomes available.
