WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A teenager who shot and killed two fellow students near their high school campus in West Valley City earlier this year is expected to remain in juvenile detention for several years.
Tivani Lopati, 14, and Paul Tahi, 15, were killed in the Jan. 13 shooting outside Hunter High School, while Ephraim Asiata, 15, was critically wounded and hospitalized.
The suspect was 14 years old at the time. His name is not being published because he is a minor.
The teen was initially charged with two counts of felony murder, two counts of felony discharge of a weapon, and one count each of obstructing justice, possession of a weapon on school grounds and possession of a weapon by a minor.
However, in a hearing in juvenile court Monday, he admitted to two counts of manslaughter and one count of discharging a firearm, and the other charges were dismissed.
As a result, the teen will be held in a juvenile detention facility until he is 21 years old.
