An Ogden man pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder for allegedly shooting another man in the head with a shotgun during a dispute at a local park last summer.
A March 7 trial date was set Monday for Tyrone Jason Lemons, 18. He is accused of shooting Pete Romero Jr., 19, with a 12-gauge shotgun during a group confrontation in John Affleck Park on Aug. 26.At the time of the incident, Lemons was 17 and therefore classified as a juvenile. He had been held at the Millcreek Youth Center since his arrest shortly after the shooting and was recently transferred to the Weber County Jail.
Prosecutors delayed filing charges against Lemons, waiting to see whether Romero would live, said Weber County Attorney Reed Richards.
Richards said the charge was filed in late December after doctors said that although it appeared Romero would be bedridden, he would survive.
Lemons was charged as an adult under a provision of Utah law that allows direct filing in serious criminal cases involving a juvenile defendant.
Police said Romero was with one group of youths in the park and Lemons with another when the shooting occurred. It appears three rounds were fired from the shotgun and that the third round struck Romero in the head. Police said there had been previous trouble between the two groups.