On the evening of June 15, 2025, a Black / African American male named Hassan Lugundi, age 18, was fatally shot at the WestFest carnival at Centennial Park in West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. The festive atmosphere of the family-oriented event, which had drawn thousands of people, was shattered when an argument broke out between two groups near a police mobile command post. As officers moved to intervene, a 16-year-old male pulled out a handgun and opened fire.
Hassan Lugundi was struck five times and died from his wounds.
The shooting also claimed the lives of two innocent bystanders: 41-year-old Fnu Reena and an 8-month-old boy, Anderson Garcia Cabrera Jr. Reena, who was eight weeks pregnant, and the infant were both struck by the gunfire. Two other teenagers, a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators later confirmed that Hassan Lugundi was the intended target of the attack.
In the immediate aftermath, police took the suspected shooter into custody. He was identified as 16-year-old Matthiaz Cantre Lauti Ioane-Register. Prosecutors have charged him as an adult with four counts of aggravated murder, which include the death of Reena's unborn child, and multiple felony weapons counts. The incident is being investigated as gang-related, with court filings indicating the suspect's affiliation with the Titanic Crip Society. The firearm used in the shooting was a stolen 9mm handgun. According to charging documents, when informed of Hassan's death, Ioane-Register laughed and smiled. Due to his age, he is not eligible for the death penalty or a sentence of life without parole.
