SALT LAKE CITY — A federal grand jury has indicted two men on firearms charges in connection with a shooting in a Salt Lake City church parking lot last month. two people died Six others were injured.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah said the indictment unsealed Friday charges 32-year-old Ryan Toutai with unlawful disposal of a firearm and 26-year-old Fineeva Maka with possession of a firearm by a felon.
Investigators used cellphone video and photos, as well as GPS ankle monitor evidence, to strap two men to a handgun recovered from the scene. The shooting incident on January 7, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Prosecutors accused the two men of being gang members.
The violence occurred in the back parking lot of a place of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the Mormon Church. Investigators said the shooting broke out due to an argument between people who knew each other and were attending the funeral. All victims are adults. No one has yet been charged in connection with the actual killing.
The church primarily serves a Tongan congregation, its website says. In the 1890s, Mormon missionaries brought their faith to the South Pacific island of Tonga. More than 25% of the Tongan American population lives in Utah, the church’s headquarters.
Dongtae and Macca are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. It was unclear whether they had attorneys, and The Associated Press could not immediately reach them for comment. The federal public defender’s office also could not be reached.
Police previously arrested Dongtai on suspicion of felony obstruction of justice. He was booked into jail on Saturday. A third man was also arrested on the same charges.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
