Teen charged in shooting outside Granger homecoming game

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WEST VALLEY CITY — A 15-year-old boy accused of firing shots on the campus of Granger High School during a football game has been charged.

The boy is facing two counts of shooting toward a person, a second-degree felony, in 3rd District Juvenile Court. According to court documents, the teen is subject to enhanced penalties if convicted because the shooting was committed “for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang.”

He was also charged with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; having a gun on school property, a third-degree felony; and giving a false name to a police officer, a class C misdemeanor.

The Deseret News has opted not to name the juvenile at this time.

According to the Granite School District, shots were fired during the third quarter of Granger High School’s homecoming football game on Sept. 13. The shots were not fired in the stadium area, nobody was injured and most people were unaware that anything happened, the district stated.

According to charging documents, a police officer providing security for the game was notified of a fight near the south gate.

“As he and other officers responded, they heard two shots fired,” the charges state.

The officers saw people fleeing from the area and called for assistance from West Valley police. Police caught up with the 15-year-old boy and other suspects at a nearby shopping area. One officer saw the boy “discard a green bag which contained 10 bullets,” the charges state.

The bullets matched shell casings found at the school.

Police also recovered videos and photos taken at the high school by witnesses of the teen posing with documented gang members, the charges state.

“Officers recovered a number of video recordings of the fight and shooting,” according to charging documents.

In the videos, several males are fighting, when the 15-year-old suspect “produced a handgun and pointed it point-blank at the face of a male in a red shirt. (Name redacted) flinched and fell to the ground,” the charges state.

The teen then ran and fired two shots at the other man, according to the charges.

The victim told police that the boy pointed a gun at his face and he “fell to the ground and the male shot at him after going around a group,” charging documents state.

When interviewed by police, the teen said he was “associated” with a street gang and that “his friends were involved in a fight with a group of rival gang members and he also became involved in the fight,” according to the charges.

The teen was described by police as a “runaway” who does not live in West Valley City or attend school in the Granite District.

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