On a summer evening in West Valley City, Utah, a dispute between two former co-workers escalated into a fatal encounter, leaving one man dead and another facing a murder charge. The life of Abdulraheem Al-Hisnawi, a 49-year-old male, was cut short on June 22, 2020, following a heated argument at an auto shop near 1400 West and 3500 South. The man later accused of firing the deadly shot was Edwin Fong Carrillo, 40, of Salt Lake City, who was known by the nickname “Shorty.”
The tragic
events unfolded after Carrillo, who had recently been fired from the auto shop, arrived at the business. Al-Hisnawi and another employee were working on an RV when Carrillo appeared. An argument ensued between Carrillo and Al-Hisnawi. At one point, Al-Hisnawi asked Carrillo to talk, but the conversation grew heated. Carrillo then lifted his shirt, revealing a black handgun in his waistband. Al-Hisnawi reacted by grabbing the barrel of the gun and pointing it away from himself. He pushed Carrillo against the RV, urging him to calm down and drop the weapon.
The confrontation continued with Al-Hisnawi pushing Carrillo to the ground. As Al-Hisnawi turned and began to walk away, the situation took a fatal turn. Carrillo allegedly sat up and fired a single shot, striking Al-Hisnawi in the stomach. As Al-Hisnawi doubled over and fell to the ground, Carrillo is said to have stood up, walked over to him, and kicked him a few times before leaving the scene.
When the first police officer arrived, Al-Hisnawi was still conscious enough to indicate that he knew who had shot him. However, his condition quickly deteriorated, and he became unable to speak. He was rushed to a local hospital, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries about 90 minutes later. The investigation quickly pointed to Carrillo, who was identified by the auto shop's owner as the person responsible. Four days later, law enforcement located and arrested Carrillo at a motel in Midvale.
During police questioning, Carrillo claimed that after being pushed, he felt Al-Hisnawi was coming at him, which is why he fired the gun. He initially told investigators that he had destroyed the weapon with a hammer and scattered the pieces across the Salt Lake area. However, he later changed his story, stating that he had fallen asleep and the gun was gone when he woke up. Investigators later discovered that Carrillo had given the gun to a woman who had helped pay for his motel room. Edwin Fong Carrillo was subsequently charged with murder, possession of a weapon by a restricted person, and obstructing justice.
