West Valley City, Utah — A 16-year-old has been charged with four counts of murder in connection with a shooting that claimed the lives of three individuals, including an infant and a pregnant woman, during a carnival. The violence erupted late Sunday at WestFest, a local celebration, and formed part of a distressing pattern of gun violence in the area over the weekend.
The shooting left five people injured, among them two teenagers who suffered injuries to their arms. The incident followed another violent episode at a protest the previous day, heightening concerns about safety in the Salt Lake City region. Authorities reported that two innocent bystanders, an 8-month-old baby and 41-year-old Fnu Reena of West Jordan, Utah, were among those killed in the attack. The teenager charged, whose identity has not been released due to his age, is alleged to have targeted 18-year-old Hassan Lugundi, who was also one of the deceased.
According to a police affidavit, the suspect made troubling statements to officers shortly after the shooting, asserting he did not intend to harm the infant. Law enforcement later confirmed that Reena was eight weeks pregnant at the time of her death, which prompted the addition of a fourth murder charge under state law. Reena had recently visited the doctor for a medical checkup when the tragedy unfolded.
The young boy, who was killed, was reportedly in a stroller with his twin sibling, who remained unharmed. In addition to the fatalities, a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were shot while attempting to escape the chaos, along with an additional pregnant woman who sustained injuries while trying to flee the scene.
The teenager faces an additional nine felony counts related to the discharge of a firearm that resulted in serious injuries. While the murder counts could lead to a life sentence if adjudicated as an adult, juvenile law prohibits the application of the death penalty or life in prison for someone under 18.
Prosecutors have requested that the alleged shooter be held without bail as the case unfolds. No attorney has been identified to represent him in court. Police also revealed that the firearm used in the incident, a Taurus G2C 9 mm handgun, had been reported stolen from Louisiana.
Reports indicate that the accused is affiliated with the Titanic Crip Society, a gang that is known to be rivals of the Bloods, with whom Lugundi had connections. The WestFest carnival, which celebrated the establishment of West Valley City and its cultural diversity, had attracted a crowd of about 10,000 visitors, with thousands still present when the shooting occurred.
This spate of violence also coincided with an earlier shooting incident linked to a “No Kings” protest, during which a man believed to be part of a peacekeeping effort at the demonstration opened fire, injuring both an armed individual and a bystander. The latter did not survive the shooting, marking a tragic weekend that has left the community shaken.