EDEN, Utah, June 5, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Three suspects have been booked into the Weber County Jail after a drive-by shooting in Eden.
Police responded after a shots-fired call from residents, and witnesses told officers the shots came from a white sedan headed north, court papers say.
Bullet holes were found in a residence, near the area of 5400 East and 2300 North, which was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
Weber County Sheriff’s officials stopped a car fitting that description nearby, on State Route 158. Seven people were in the vehicle, a probable cause statement says.
After an initial investigation, three people were taken into custody. They are Nyheim William Edmond Lucas, 20, of Ogden; Dianah Patricia Torres, 18, also of Ogden; and Vance Malik Williams, 18, of Woods Cross.
Officers transported all of the vehicle’s occupants to the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, and obtained a search warrant for the sedan.
Officials believe Lucas was the shooter because he was sitting in the rear passenger seat, and several bullet casings were near him. In addition, he was in position to stash a gun under the back part of the front passenger seat, where one was found.
After being read his Miranda rights, Lucas denied any knowledge of a shooting or the gun under the seat in front of him.
Torres denied knowledge of events, but changed her story when confronted with the evidence. She admitted to being the driver.
“Dianah admitted to hanging out with the involved subjects and going to the address to fight people who had previously jumped the juvenile ‘DB’ at a party over the weekend,” the probable cause statement says.
“Dianah was told she would be given gas money and that the group was going to fight. Upon arriving at the house, other subjects exited the car and knocked on the door of the house. Dianah made statements implicating Nyheim as the shooter. After the shots were fired, Dianah was told to drive and did.”
Post Miranda, Williams denied knowledge of a shooting, and said he and the group were headed to the location of a friend who had a flat tire and needed help.
Others in the car, including several juveniles, told officers a call from a stranded friend did come in, but it was after the house shooting, the probable cause statement says.
One juvenile implicated Lucas as the shooter. Another juvenile said the subjects ‘had a plan to “jump” someone,’ the statement says.
“Based on statements of those interviewed, Nyheim and the other subjects went to the home to fight or ‘jump’ a group that had previously fought his juvenile brother…. Nyheim discharged a firearm into a residence, which does have other homes in proximity, and created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury to another.”
Lucas was charged in 2nd District Court with aggravated assault and felony discharge of a firearm, both third-degree felonies, and with obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor.
Torres was charged with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and obstruction of justice.
Williams was charged with obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor.
