MILLCREEK, Utah, Nov. 1, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 22-year-old man was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon in connection with the 2020 fatal shooting of a man outside a Millcreek car wash.
Awad Moses Majok was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on for investigation of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Aggravated robbery with serious bodily injury on another, a first-degree felony
- Felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony
Dispatch received a call regarding a shooting at ClearWater Car wash, at 635 W. 3900 South at about 12:30 a.m. Oct. 18, 2020. and Unified Police officials responded to the scene.
“On arrival, Unified Police officers found two Salt Lake County deputies from the jail on scene,” says an affidavit filed by a UPD officer. “Both were performing CPR on a male victim, who was later identified as Manuel Gonzales-Cortes (age 21).”
Another officer interviewed three bystanders, who said they were driving east when they saw a male standing over the victim, and did not know if he was being assaulted or helped by the man, the probable cause statement says.
When the witnesses stopped to help out, the man in a white shirt ran to a nearby black car, possibly a Nissan, parked nearby, and drove west on 3900 South, according to the affidavit.
The witnesses said they walked over to the man on the roadway, and saw blood coming from his abdomen.
Emergency responders transported the man to a nearby hospital, and was later pronounced dead.
Officers obtained surveillance video and saw images of Majok and another male following the victim down the sidewalk, the probable cause statement says.
The other male is named in Majok’s arrest documents, but was a juvenile at the time of the 2020 incident. Charging documents for the other male, if any, do not appear in adult court records that are available.
“The video then appears to show a struggle between Manuel, (another male) and Majok. During that struggle, two muzzle flashes can be seen in the video. Shortly thereafter, the video shows Majok and (the other male) running to a black, 4-door passenger vehicle which is waiting for them in the street.”
Both males got in the car and left the scene, Majok’s court documents say.
Officers processed the scene and found two 9mm expended casings, two 9mm unfired cartridges and one .40 caliber Smith & Wesson expended casing, the statement says, adding that Majok and the other male, about a week earlier, “appeared in a video with what appears to be two handguns of similar calibers.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 1, Majok was found to be a passenger in a stolen Ford F-150 pickup stopped by police. A .40 caliber handgun also was found in the truck.
“Majok admitted to police that two people had been involved in the shooting of the victim,” his arrest documents say. “Majok then went on to admit that he was present during the shooting at the car wash and that one of his people did it. Majok also indicated that the person who shot the victim shot twice.
“Subsequent evidence showed that AWAD participated in the aggravated robbery and fired a gun in the process. He was a party to the murder of the defendant.”
Majok was ordered held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail. The affidavit indicates “Awad had been previously convicted of a violent felony and has a lengthy criminal history.”
Gephardt Daily will have more details as the case develops.
