WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Jan. 21, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Two teenagers were taken into custody Friday afternoon after police say they fired a gun from the sidewalk at an adult who was driving in the area of 3400 South 3200 West.
The driver and car were not hit by bullets, Lt. Robert Brinton, West Valley City Police Department, told Gephardt Daily. The driver, who was alone in the car, did swerve hard to avoid the shooter and jumped a curb and struck a tree, causing damages to the vehicle.
Police responded to shots-fired calls and located the teens, whose ages were in the 15- or 16-year-old range, Brinton said. The boys injured themselves slightly when they ran west and jumped some fences, trying to get away, but the two were taken into custody.
“We are looking at whether they know each other or are aware of each other, because it doesn’t appear to just be random at this point,” Brinton said of the shooters and victim. “There does seem to be some type of connection, but we’re still kind of working that out and trying to find those details.”
Brinton said investigators have not yet determined if the gunfire might be gang-related, “but obviously that’s still not ruled out.”
Brinton also said the gun has not been located.
“The individuals tossed it somewhere. And we kind of backtrack where they said they went, and they even walked with us, and we just didn’t find the gun yet.”
The two teens have been booked into juvenile detention, Brinton said.
Brinton said he could confirm the shooting was not related to Jan. 13 shootings at Hunter High School, which is also in West Valley City.
