KEARNS, Utah, Feb. 4, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — The Unified Police Department has arrested a man in connection with a 2016 Kearns shooting homicide.
Jimmy Alexis Lopez, 18 at the time of the shooting and now 26, is being investigated for alleged:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Felony discharge of a firearm as a first-degree felony
- Four counts of felony discharge of a firearm as a second-degree felony
The victim, fatally shot on July 10, 2016, was Marvin Lopez, 24.
On the morning of the shooting, Unified police responded at about 3:15 a.m. to the area of 4220 W. 5615 South.
“A witness was in the road in front of 4217 West, shining his cell phone flashlight on a 9mm shell casing,” say arrest documents for Jimmy Lopez.
“The witness stated that he had seen a white vehicle, possibly a Chrysler 500, leaving the scene at a high rate of speed after the gunshots. Officers found one additional 9mm casing to the west of the first.
“The second shooting was reported at approximately 4:06 a.m. Officer Z. Young responded to the area and was speaking with a witness when dispatch notified Young that a male, later identified as Marvin Lopez, had arrived at Jordan Valley Hospital in West Valley City with gunshot wounds.”
“While Officer Young was enroute to the hospital, Marvin was pronounced deceased.”
A detective responded to the area of 4220 W. 5615 South to search for a possible crime scene. In the roadway at 4220 W. 5601 South, he located several spent .380 shell casings and apparent bloodstains. A crime lab technician documented evidence from the scene, including six spent .380 casings and two bullet fragments in the roadway, and a bullet strike in a bedroom wall of a nearby residence, the arrest document says.
A witness, who had arrived at the hospital with Marvin Lopez, “stated they were at a party at a house in Kearns. Earlier in the morning, the witness was outside with a couple of friends when a white Chrysler 300 drove past the house. The witness heard female voices coming from the car, and something like a gang whistle or call. When the Chrysler reached the end of the street, someone in the car fired a gun in the air several times.”
The witness and some friends went back in the house, and saw a police car arrived in the area. The witness went back outside later, and reported seeing a dark car, possibly an Impala or Cavalier, driving down the street. The car drove to the end of the street, turned around, and drove past the house again, the witness told officers.
“The witness could see four males inside the car. The witness asked if they were lost and the males in the car said they were. The witness asked who they were looking for. A male in the backseat responded. The witness described the male as younger, Hispanic, with short hair and plucked eyebrows. The male was wearing a black shirt and black hat.
“The male told the witness they were looking for Smokey from Dogtown (a gang set). The witness was familiar with Smokey and several Dogtown associates, but did not recognize any of the people in the car. The male again asked for Smokey, then stated he was Smokey from Dogtown.
“While the witness was talking to the male in the backseat, Marvin walked up and told the males he was from Dogtown. The male in the backseat produced a semi-automatic handgun and the witness and Marvin started running away. The male fired several rounds before the car drove off. The witness saw that Marvin had been shot. The witness ran to Marvin and screamed for help. They loaded Marvin into a car and drove him to the hospital.”
An autopsy determined Marvin Lopez suffered three gunshot wounds, two in his chest and one in his left leg. The doctor concluded Marvin Lopez died as a result of the multiple gunshot wounds and deemed the manner of death as homicide.
In 2021, a new detective was assigned the case, and in 2022 he was notified that a .380 casing from Marvin Lopez’s homicide was a match for casings collected by the West Valley City Police Department during their investigation of a shooting that took place on July 1, 2016, nine days prior to the homicide.
A suspect in the July 1 shooting was linked to Jimmy Lopez, a known gang member, through text messages. Almost three months later, on Sept. 21, 2016, officers with the Utah State Bureau of Investigations arrested Jimmy Lopez for a different, unrelated shooting.
A search of his cell phone at that time turned up evidence of gang activity and threats to shoot people, according to his current arrest document. His cell phone data also showed that Lopez had called up a news article on the fatal shooting of Martin Lopez and had searched the Salt Lake County jail database multiple times after the July 1 and July 10 shootings.
He also called up a Wikipedia article about gun ballistics and looked up how to turn off tracking for an android phone, then reportedly did so.
On May 18, 2023, a Unified Police detective conducted a photo lineup for the shooting witness, who positively identified Jimmy Lopez as the shooter of Marvin Lopez.
At 4:15 p.m. Monday, Lopez was placed under arrest. He declined to answer police questions without an attorney present, and was booked into the Salt Lake County jail, where he is being held without bail.
Gephardt Daily will have more information on this case as it develops.
