In the early morning hours of June 4, 2022, a party at an apartment complex in West Valley City, a suburb of Salt Lake City, turned into a scene of chaos and violence. Amidst a large gathering, a dispute erupted, leading to gunfire that would tragically end the life of 23-year-old Elijah Isaiah Brown, also known as 'Rico'. The male victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper chest.
Police were dispatched to the E Gate apartments near 2900 Ruddy Way at approximately 3:10
a.m. Upon arrival, officers encountered numerous people fleeing from an apartment on the fourth floor. Inside, they discovered two men who had been shot. Elijah Brown was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. A second man, identified as 21-year-old Alexander John Ogilvie, was also found with gunshot wounds to his stomach and shoulder and was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
The initial investigation proved challenging due to the chaotic nature of the scene. Investigators found multiple shell casings from two different firearms, including. 22 and 9mm casings, both inside and outside the apartment. Bullet holes in the front door indicated that shots had been fired from both directions, suggesting an exchange of gunfire. For nearly a year, no arrests were made in the case as detectives worked to identify those responsible for Brown's death.
In May 2023, a significant breakthrough occurred when three teenagers, who were all 16 at the time of the shooting, were charged as adults in connection with the murder. The suspects were identified as Cisco Knowels of Salt Lake City, Julian Eli Lopez of Sandy, and Daniel Medero of Draper. The charges against them included murder, aggravated burglary, and multiple counts of discharging a firearm causing injury. According to charging documents, the incident began after one of the teens, Lopez, was punched and kicked out of the party. Subsequently, the group returned, and shots were fired through the apartment door from the outside, with Brown returning fire from within.
