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- Jose Antonio Flores-Carrillo, 21, was charged Friday with murder for a 2019 shooting death in West Valley City.
- He is accused of killing Neko Jardine, 19, at a party when he was 15 and injuring two others.
WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Jordan man who was 15 when a 19-year-old man was shot and killed several years ago was charged with murder Friday as an adult.
Jose Antonio Flores-Carrillo, 21, is charged in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; and two counts of shooting a gun and causing injury, a second-degree felony, in the 2019 shooting death of 19-year-old Neko Jardine.
Jardine was shot three times on July 14, 2019, while attending a party with about 30 to 40 people at 5624 W. 4360 South. Two others were also shot and injured.
Witnesses at the party told police that before the shooting, a car pulled up to the house and the occupants asked the guests if they "banged," according to charging documents. The witnesses said they were not part of a gang, but a fight still ensued.
One witness told police, "They all started 'going at it.' As the fighting continued, (he) heard gunshots, and they all started to run back in the house. (He) looked down and discovered he had been shot. (He) had no information to explain the reason for the incident and explained it was 'unexpected' and came 'out of nowhere.' (The witness) sustained three gunshot wounds to his legs," the charges state.
Others who were with Flores-Carrillo that night were later questioned by police and claimed there was a confrontation with a group at the house earlier in the evening and they wanted to go back and fight them. One man said they brought two guns that night and Flores-Carrillo fired one of them during the fight, according to the charges.
Prosecutors say Flores-Carrillo's juvenile criminal history includes aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
"As an adult, he was charged with aggravated robbery, which was ultimately dismissed due to lack of witness cooperation. He is currently on felony probation … for fleeing, DUI and reckless driving," prosecutors noted in the charging documents. "Despite being placed in secure care for several violent felonies as a juvenile, he quickly reengaged in criminal behavior upon his release. There is substantial evidence supporting this case. Several witnesses identified (Flores-Carrillo) with a firearm that evening and recalled him taking credit for the shooting after they left the scene. The statements were further corroborated by surveillance footage."
In 2019, West Valley police announced the arrests of three men in connection with the shooting, but formal criminal charges were never filed, according to court records.
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