A quiet West Jordan neighborhood found itself at the center of a hail of gunfire in late December, and now two local men are facing a long list of felony charges in connection with the chaos.
On Dec. 28, a home near 2700 West and 7800 South was riddled with bullets, leaving roughly 16 holes in the house and about 20 slugs and shell casings scattered around the property, according to investigators. Neighbors told police that people inside the home narrowly escaped being hit. Detectives later detained two teenagers at an abandoned SUV nearby and said one of them had a gun with an extended magazine. Court documents allege the shooting came on the heels of an earlier disturbance at the homeowner's front door.
As reported by KSL, 27-year-old Tonga Poteki Maez Kaufusi of West Jordan was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with criminal solicitation, two counts of aggravated assault, causing property damage, and 20 counts of discharge of a firearm, all third-degree felonies. Officials say 20-year-old Sitiveni Fosita Kaufusi of Salt Lake City was charged Monday with the same offenses. Prosecutors filed the charges after detectives reviewed the evidence and turned the case over to the 3rd District Court, according to the report.
How investigators say it unfolded
Charging documents reviewed by KSL outline a tense lead-up to the gunfire. Investigators say the homeowner was asleep when a woman he did not know started pounding on his front door, waking him up. The documents state that the woman then fell into his residence, and the startled homeowner grabbed his gun.
Roughly 30 minutes later, an SUV reportedly drove past the home, and numerous shots were fired at the house, leaving the yard and street littered with spent casings, according to the charging papers. Detectives say ballistics tests linked a gun recovered from one of the detained teens at the abandoned SUV to the casings collected at the scene.
Legal implications and next steps
Both men are facing third-degree felony counts that carry potentially serious prison time in Utah. Third-degree felonies typically come with one to five years in prison under state sentencing statutes, according to Utah Code. The case is set to move forward in the 3rd District Court, where arraignments and preliminary hearings are scheduled, and prosecutors will decide how to proceed. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Neighbors' reaction
Residents on the block said the shooting shook up the neighborhood, and they are still coming to terms with how close the bullets came to the people inside the home. West Jordan police continue to investigate and have not released further details as detectives coordinate with prosecutors. Officers have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact investigators, police said.
