On a Tuesday afternoon, February 13, 2018, Alan Hernandez Lopez, a 16-year-old Hispanic male, was walking home from school in South Salt Lake, Utah. A sophomore at Cottonwood High School, he was a loving and sweet boy who helped his single mother care for his three younger siblings and even worked part-time to contribute to the family. His aspiration was to one day become a U.S. Marine.
As he walked near 3100 S.
300 East shortly after 4 p.m., a car driven by 20-year-old Joshua Jaeshawn Park passed by. A brief interaction occurred in which Lopez appeared to make a hand signal at the driver. This prompted Park to make a U-turn and pull up beside the teenager. A quick and fatal confrontation ensued.
The interaction, which lasted just over a minute, involved the trading of gang-related insults and threats between Park and Lopez, who had never met before. Park then fired two shots at the 16-year-old, striking him. The entire incident was captured on the school's surveillance system. Lopez was rushed to a local hospital where he died just after midnight.
Initially, police had no suspect or motive and sought help from the public to identify potential witnesses. However, their investigation led them to Joshua Jaeshawn Park. Upon serving a search warrant at his home, Park admitted to the shooting. He told investigators that he and Hernandez-Lopez had exchanged gang signs and calls, which led him to turn his car around and confront the teen. Park was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake City Metro Jail. He was later charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and felony discharge of a firearm.
