MURRAY, Utah, Jan. 18, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Three more suspects have been booked into jail after two people were shot at the Fashion Place Mall on Sunday.
Murray police also announced on Friday that at least two additional suspects — believed to be the shooters — remain at large.
Booked into the Salt Lake County jail system are Flaviano Aguilar, 20; Steven Perez-Hernandez, 18; and Arian Huerta, 20.
Each is being held in lieu of posting $100,000 cash-only bail, and all are described as members of the Florencia 13 gang in their probable cause statements.
They join two others previously booked in the case: Jesus Joshua Payan-Mendoza, 19, aka “Psycho”; and Jorge C. Gonzalez, 19. Both are also associated with the Florencia 13 gang, a Los Angeles-based gang with ties to the Mexican mafia.
The incident
The incident began at about 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13, at the mall, located at 6191 S. State, Murray.
Several members of the Florencia 13 gang confronted members of a rival gang, a probable cause statement says.
“All parties agreed to go outside and continue the confrontation when one member from each gang pulled out firearms and exchanged gunfire during business hours,” Aguilar’s probable cause statement says.
“This incident resulted in serious bodily injury for two persons.”
The two victims, a male and a female, were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The woman was treated and released, and the man remained to be treated for more critical wounds, police said at the time.
In addition, a mall alarm that police say malfunctioned urged all shoppers to leave the premises or shelter in place. Police instructed all who were fleeing the mall to raise their hands while officers determined whether they were armed suspects.
Police also spent several hours clearing the mall and allowing those who sheltered in place to be interviewed and leave.
Charges
Aguilar faces a more serious charge than his peers because he “engaged in activity to further prevent the apprehension of another suspect by sending him money via an application to a known acquaintance,” his probable cause statement says.
Aguilar was booked into jail on suspicion of:
- Obstruction of justice, a first-degree felony
- Riot — causing bodily injury/property damage/arson/dangerous weapon, a third-degree felony
Perez-Hernandez and Huerta each were booked into jail on suspicion of:
- Riot — causing bodily injury/property damage/arson/dangerous weapon, a third-degree felony
- Failure to stop at the command of a law enforcement officer, a class A misdemeanor
Payan-Mendoza and Gonzalez are both still booked on initial charges, which will be amended.
Gonzalez and Mendoza each were charged on Jan. 14 with two counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony (no shooting victims died) and two charges of felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony. They are being held without bail.
