WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, March 27, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — West Valley City police have released surveillance photos of a vehicle thought to be involved in a drive-by shooting Saturday night in a Walmart Supercenter parking lot that wounded four people, including three members of a touring rap music group.
The suspect vehicle appears to be a red Hyundai Sonata or similar style vehicle, West Valley City Police Department spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said in a news release.
The rap group was traveling in a large recreational vehicle that was stopped in the parking lot at 3180 S. 5600 West, the news release said.
The RV they were using for travel bore markings that demonstrated affiliation with a gang, officials added. Three members of the group were outside the RV speaking with people who had stopped to visit, including a 14-year-old girl, at approximately 8:10 p.m.
“A red colored passenger car, with multiple people inside, pulled through the parking lot twice and yelled potential rival gang related slurs toward the group,” the news release said. “The car then exited the parking lot headed southbound on 5600 West and as the vehicle drove by, fired multiple shots toward the RV and the people outside. Four people were hit by bullets, including three members of the group and one bystander.”
The bystander was a 14-year-old girl who was going to Walmart with a family member and had stopped by the RV. She was shot in the hip area, taken to the hospital in stable condition, and has since been released.
Of the three men outside the RV, all were transported to the hospital in stable condition. A 36-year-old was shot in the leg; he remains in the hospital. A 23-year-old was shot in the buttocks; he has since been released. A 22-year-old was shot in the abdomen; he remains in the hospital.
A fourth member of the rap group, part of an act belonging to the Southern California based Crime Family Entertainment Company, was inside the RV and was not injured.
According to WVCPD on Twitter, the three male victims left the scene in the RV and were located in the parking lot of a nearby school after the RV was apparently disabled by a flat tire.
West Valley City police converged on the large crime scene and worked to preserve any evidence and talk to possible witnesses as many shoppers were in the area at the time.
Investigators have been able to obtain surveillance video of the area during the time of the shooting and have pinpointed the suspect vehicle in this case.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the WVCPD at 801-840-4000. Tips can be made anonymously.
