SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 2, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Arrest documents filed for three people taken into custody in Kearns after an assault in a Salt Lake City park reveal more details regarding what police say transpired.
On Sunday, Salt Lake City Police officers responded to Westpointe Park, at 1155 N. Colonel Road, between the Rose Park neighborhood and Interstate 215, “where a victim was shot in the arm,” court documents say.
“The victim provided the suspect vehicle description and said the suspects were members of a known street
gang. The vehicle description matched the physical description of a known gang member that officers were
investigating. That vehicle was tracked to (a Kearns address on S. Copper City Drive) where three occupants were seen exiting the vehicle.”
Salt Lake City police first gave the three arrestees’ information in a Sunday news release:
“It is alleged, the three other people, 21-year-old Yonathan Hernandez-Aguilar, 20-year-old Abdiaziz Ibrahim, and 19-year-old Luis Leal-Vergara all knowingly showed up to the park to also engage in violent conduct. Hernandez-Aguilar is accused of shooting the victim.”
Hernandez-Aguilar was booked for investigation of:
- Felony discharge of a firearm, a first-degree felony
- Purchase, transfer or possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony
- Riot, a second-degree felony
- Aggravated assault by a prisoner with serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony
Ibrahim and Leal-Vergara were booked for investigation of:
- Riot, a second-degree felony
As in all cases, charges are determined not by police, but by a review by the county attorney’s office.
Police called the 21-year-old victim at the hospital where he was being treated. The man was acquainted with the men in custody.
“The victim stated that upwards of seven individuals had assaulted him prior to being shot by (Hernandez-Aguilar) with a handgun. The victim received a gunshot wound to his arm, shattering his arm and constituting serious bodily injury,” says the affidavit for Hernandez-Aguilar, adding he “is currently on felony probation, making him a category 1 restricted person and making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.”
