- Two alleged gang members were indicted for a shooting at a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Salt Lake City.
- Ryan Toutai and Fineeva Maka face federal firearms charges in the case.
- The shooting left two dead and six injured during a Jan. 7 funeral.
SALT LAKE CITY — Two men have been indicted on federal firearms charges for their alleged roles in a shooting last month that left two people dead in a Salt Lake church parking lot while a funeral was underway.
Ryan Daniel Toutai, aka "Lost One," 32, of Salt Lake City, and Fineeva Pomona Maka, aka "Finloc," 26, of Millcreek, were indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday. Toutai is charged with unlawful disposition of a firearm and Maka is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors say both are members of the Tongan Crip Gang.
On Jan. 7, police responded to a shooting with multiple victims in the parking lot of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 660 N. Redwood Road just after 7:30 p.m.
Sione Vatuvei, 38, of Glendale, and Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, were killed in the shooting. Six other men were injured and taken to local hospitals.
Toutai was previously arrested and later charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, for allegedly hindering the police investigation into the shooting.
Following the incident, as police secured and processed the scene, they recovered .40 caliber casings, 9mm caliber casings, and a Ruger 9mm semi-automatic pistol, according to federal charging documents.
Both Toutai and Maka had previously been pictured with one of the firearms that was used during the shooting, the charges allege.
Police obtained a search warrant and seized Toutai's phone on the night of the shooting and discovered photos and videos taken a month prior where Toutai had the same Ruger 9mm that recovered from the scene, according to federal prosecutors.
"Toutai was identified as the creator of the photos and videos based on a distinctive tattoo on his left hand. Law enforcement photographed the same tattoo during the Jan. 7, 2026 interview with Toutai," courts documents state.
Toutai's phone also contained "documentation of events" hours before the shooting, including several photos and videos of him and Maka in a vehicle together with Toutai in the driver's seat and Maka in the front passenger seat, according to a motion for detention.
Police found screenshots from videos depicting Maka holding a small black pistol that is consistent with the Ruger LC9, the court documents say.
Due to a prior conviction, Maka is restricted from owning or possessing a firearm and ammunition. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to multiple felony charges, including aggravated robbery, court documents say. Prior to last month's shooting, Maka was already on parole and had been ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
Evidence from the GPS ankle monitor combined with physical evidence collected from the scene "strongly corroborates" Maka's possession of the Ruger firearm on the night of the shooting — in addition to a photo and video evidence showing Toutai and Maka claiming gang affiliation, the U.S Attorney's Office of Utah said.
Both men are scheduled for an initial appearance on the indictment on Tuesday, March 3, in federal court.
Late last month, Ezekiel Isaiah Tai, 22, was charged in 3rd District Court with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, in connection with the shooting. According to prosecutors, Tai is from Newark, California, but frequently stays in Utah.
