IRON COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 19, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — Two men arrested by the Iron County Sheriff‘s Office after the pursuit and fatal shooting Friday of a 17-year-old girl told investigators they believed the teen was stalking them after seeing the red pickup truck she was driving near the townhouse where they lived as roommates, and where multiple drugs were found.
Arrest documents reveal that the victim and her passenger, who survived, were in the townhouse complex, at 1645 N. 3200 West, for an unrelated reason.
The driver of the suspect vehicle, later determined to be a 2018 Black Chevrolet Silverado pickup, was Michael Edward Hess-Witucki, an Iron County Sheriff news release says. Hess-Witucki and the front-seat passenger Ethan Andrew Galloway, both 23, were each arrested for investigation of alleged:
- Murder, a first degree felony
- 12 counts of felony discharge of a firearm – serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice – capital/first degree felony conduct, a second-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous firearm by restricted person, a third-degree felony
- Possession of controlled substances marijuana/spice, a class B misdemeanor
Two other roommates, Matthew D. Sorber-Petrie, 22, and Aldric S. Felipe, 21, admitted they remained at the residence, but knew of the armed pursuit plan, their arrest documents say.
Both Sorber-Petrie and Felipe admitted, according to court documents, that they each allowed Hess-Witucki and Galloway to take their guns, “knowing they were going to use it to confront the alleged stocker (stalker).”
Sorber-Petrie and Felipe were each arrested for investigation of alleged:
- Obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony
- Category II restricted person transaction — firearm, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor
According to their arrest documents, admitted shooters Hess-Witucki and Galloway both “wrote a letter of apology to the parents of the victim, describing the reasoning why he chased the victim’s vehicle and shot the victim-driver.”
“Hess-Witucki admitted to removing the spent shell casings from the suspect vehicle and knew they had been concealed in a container,” say the arrest documents, which repeat a lot of the same information.
“After the shooting occurred, all the involved suspects discussed and had full knowledge of the events leading up to the shooting and after, including recovering the spent shell casings and hiding them in a container within the residence.”
The shootings happened after a pursuit of the red pickup truck the victim was driving at about 10:30 p.m. Friday. After about a dozen shots were fired at the pickup, it ran through a fence and off the roadway. The driver was mortally wounded.
“The victim died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds,” the arrest documents say.
Witnesses, including neighbors and the surviving juvenile, provided information that led investigators to the suspect vehicle and the townhouse, the affidavits say. Surveillance footage was also collected.
“During the course of the investigation, Hess-Witucki was identified as the registered owner of the suspect vehicle that pursued the victim to a remote location where Galloway discharged the 12 rounds from a firearm, causing the death of the juvenile victim and endangering the life of a juvenile passenger seated in the victim’s passenger seat.”
Search warrants were issued “for the suspect(s) residence and the suspect vehicle. Prior to the service of the search warrant, three individuals, identified as Hess-Witucki, Galloway, and Sorber-Petrie, were detained in front of the suspect(s) residence as they attempted to leave. They were detained at the residence pending investigation and service of the residential search warrant.
“During the execution of the search warrant, several firearms and ammunition matching the caliber used in the homicide, similar to the shell casing recovered at the crime scene, were recovered.
“Additionally, controlled substances, and drug paraphernalia were recovered in the suspect(s) residence. Narcotics, including mushroom vapes, marijuana vapes, and an assortment of pipes used to smoke marijuana, were identified and recovered. It was learned later during a post-Miranda interview that both Hess-Witucki and Galloway admitted to participating in the homicide.”
All four men were ordered held without bail in the Iron County jail.
“As we move forward, we remain committed to ensuring public safety and holding those responsible for this tragic act of unprovoked violence accountable,” says a news release issued Sunday afternoon by the Iron County Sheriff.
“Our heartfelt condolences continue to go out to the family and friends of the young woman whose life was cut short.”
The agency thanked the following for their assistance: the Iron County Attorney’s Office, Cedar City Communications dispatchers, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Iron/Metro Task Force, the Cedar City Police Department, the Cedar City Fire Department, the Enoch City Police Department, the Iron County Sheriff’s Office Posse Division, the Iron County Sheriff Search & Rescue Division, the Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, the Iron County Emergency Manager, Gold Cross Ambulance, and the staff of the Cedar City Hospital emergency room.
“We are incredibly grateful to the deputies, detectives, and crime scene investigators of the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, who have done a phenomenal job resolving this tragic incident,” the news release says. “Thank you to all of you for your ongoing support as we work towards justice in this case.”
