Eduardo Moreno Lujan, a 21-year-old Hispanic male, died on January 30, 2023, in a tragic and violent encounter in Salt Lake City, Utah. The events leading to his death unfolded in the parking lot of the Atherton Park Apartments in Taylorsville, where he and his cousin, Rafael Antonio Torres, had arranged to sell THC vape cartridges to a teenage buyer.
Moreno Lujan was in the driver's seat of a car with the teen in the front passenger seat, while Torres was seated in the back.
The transaction took a fatal turn when an argument erupted. According to the account provided by Torres's attorney, the teenage buyer pretended to get out of the car, claiming he needed more money, but instead pulled out a gun and shot Moreno Lujan. In the ensuing chaos, Moreno Lujan returned fire. Torres, from the back seat, also fired his weapon, striking the teenager. In the aftermath, both Moreno Lujan, who was shot in the head, and the teenage passenger, who sustained wounds to his chest and abdomen, were found deceased inside the vehicle. The car, still in gear, had rolled forward and come to a stop against a snowbank and a fence.
Following the shooting, Rafael Antonio Torres, who was 19 at the time, fled the scene. He later surrendered to police through his attorney. Initially arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, Torres's legal representation maintained that he acted in defense of his cousin. Ultimately, prosecutors determined that Moreno Lujan and the teen had shot and killed each other. Torres was not held directly responsible for their deaths. Instead, in April 2024, he was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He pleaded guilty to the firearm charge as part of a plea deal. In January 2025, Torres was sentenced to ten years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
