News

Actions

Kearns shooting suspects arrested

Posted at 4:12 PM, Jun 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-08 23:18:05-04

KEARNS, Utah — Police have arrested three suspects in connection to a shooting that killed one man and wounded another Wednesday morning in Kearns.

Iafeta Piuila, 45, Lewellyn Auvaa, 38, and Joleen Warner, 29, were arrested after Unified Police Department released surveillance photos of the persons of interest and asked for help identifying them.

John Herman Tonga, 34, was shot and killed at a house near 4800 South and 4700 West at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. He was found dead on the ground outside the home when police arrived.

A short time later, a man arrived at a nearby hospital in serious condition with gunshot wounds. Police determined he was inside the home where the shooting occurred. Police said there were an additional six people inside the home beyond the two who were hit.

Auvaa and Warner were booked on aggravated murder charges, and Auvaa also faces aggravated robbery and two firearm charges. Piuila was booked on firearm and drug possession charges after police discovered two assault rifles in his home and drugs on his person, according to a police report.