On the night of July 23, 2022, Ayash Mohamed, an 18-year-old Black male from Millcreek, Utah, was killed in a burst of gunfire outside a house party in West Jordan. The lively gathering, attended by about 30 people, turned into a scene of chaos and violence at approximately 10:45 p.m. at a residence located at 3355 W. 6920 South. Ayash was standing outside the house with two friends, 18-year-old Fayzan Ali and 20-year-old Mohamed Mohamed, also from Millcreek, when one or more cars drove by and
unleashed a barrage of bullets.
When the shooting stopped, one of the young men was dead at the scene. Paramedics rushed the other two, including Ayash, to a local hospital, but they succumbed to their injuries. Investigators found multiple types of shell casings in the street and yard, indicating the use of different firearms in the attack. Police quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but a targeted, gang-related incident.
The investigation into the triple homicide led to a series of arrests over the following months. A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody shortly after the shooting after witnesses described a white Cadillac believed to be involved in the crime. This initial arrest was just the beginning. By February 2024, a total of six individuals had been arrested in connection with the killings.
Court documents revealed a chilling narrative of a planned attack. Four teenagers, including Steven Donovan Carmona, who was 17 at the time, were charged with actively seeking out and targeting the victims as part of a rival gang conflict. Carmona was charged as an adult with three counts of aggravated murder. Three other teens, two aged 15 and one 16, faced the same charges in juvenile court. Another man, 20-year-old Quincy Jason Lewis Holt, was charged with obstructing justice and later sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty. The sixth suspect, 20-year-old Estuardo Castaneda, also a documented gang member, was arrested for obstruction of justice. Digital evidence allegedly showed Castaneda was involved in managing firearms for the gang and had possessed a gun forensically linked to the murders after they occurred.
