In the early morning hours of September 10, 2023, a life was tragically cut short in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City. J'kye Lovell Ray Watkins, an 18-year-old male, was fatally shot following an altercation at a private party. The incident marked the 13th homicide in Salt Lake City for the year.
Watkins had been attending an event at a private venue when a fight broke out between him and a group of other men.
After the initial confrontation, the men who had fought with Watkins left the party and began circling the area in a gray Nissan Sentra. Later, as Watkins was walking through the parking lot of a Walgreens at 909 East 2100 South, the Nissan approached with its headlights off. The driver and a front passenger then both opened fire on Watkins before speeding away.
Salt Lake City police responded to multiple 911 calls about the shooting at approximately 1:34 a.m. Officers arrived to find Watkins on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. They immediately began life-saving efforts, and paramedics transported him to a local hospital in extremely critical condition. Despite the medical intervention, J'kye Lovell Ray Watkins succumbed to his injuries later that day.
For months, the investigation into Watkins's death continued as police sought information from the public, believing several witnesses had left the scene before their arrival. The breakthrough in the case came on January 4, 2024, when the Salt Lake City Police Department's Homicide Squad arrested 19-year-old Felix Diego-Rufino in connection with the murder. He was identified as the driver of the Nissan Sentra and was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on one count of murder. Subsequently, Diego-Rufino was charged with murder, seven counts of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. The investigation remains ongoing as police continue to search for the second shooter and have indicated that more arrests may be forthcoming.
