SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly one year after a man was shot and killed at an apartment party in West Valley City, three teenagers were arrested and charged in connection to the shooting.
Elijah Brown, 23, was fatally shot on the morning of June 4, 2022, at the E-gate apartment complex near 2300 W. Ruddy Way.
A 21-year-old male was also shot during the incident, FOX 13 news reported when the shooting happened, but he survived and was taken to the hospital for critical injuries.
Police reported at the time that two groups got into a fight inside an apartment, which ultimately led to the shooting.
Exactly 11 months after the fatal incident took place, officials arrested three 17-year-old teenagers in connection to the case.
All three individuals face multiple felony charges including murder, and multiple counts of felony discharge of a firearm with injury.
Charging documents reveal new details about what led up to the shooting from last summer.
Documents state that Brown was hosting a birthday party for the other male who was injured in the shooting when several people, including two of the teenagers who were later arrested, were kicked out of the party.
During their investigation, detectives tracked down a pickup truck that was seen on surveillance video as leaving the scene with two males inside. When they located the truck, they spoke to the 17-year-old driver, who said he and two others were at the party.
Later, investigators also discovered a few others, including a third teen, who were also at the party and were either involved in or witnessed the shooting
The group got kicked out after a man punched one of the teens for "flexing and stuff," court documents state.
A witness told police that one of the teenagers sent a message on social media saying he was going to "kill everyone," and that he wanted either a gun or ammunition for a gun, documents state.
One of the three teens returned to the scene to meet up with others who were kicked out of the party and encouraged the other teen to "do it," allegedly handing a gun to the teen, documents state.
Court documents suggest two of the teens were the only ones who went back to the apartment to engage in the shooting, which happened through a shut door.
The survivor who was shot in the incident told police he heard a loud bang and thought the police had been called to the party, but discovered individuals with guns who were not the police at the front door.
When the man went to lock the door, he was shot in the stomach. The man and Brown began shooting in response, court documents state.
The witness told police he heard 10-15 shots before two of the teens ran back to the truck to flee.
Documents state after the shooting, the teens made comments to each other such as "I can't believe we did that" and "they shot back" after the shooting.
The medical examiner reported that Brown suffered two gunshots, one of which went through his heart and lung, killing him. The other victim suffered a gunshot wound to his lower stomach and upper shoulder, documents report.
