Relatives of a man who was shot to death during a dispute over a pay phone have organized a march against gang violence.
Participants will walk from the site of the slaying, 315 E. 3900 South, to the State Capitol on Saturday, March 26, beginning at 10 a.m."We hope to wake up the public and get them to the streets to say they're sick of gang violence," said Lonnie Pursiful. Pursiful is the nephew of Roland Zahorka, who died after being shot in the chest at point-blank range.
A 16-year-old Millcreek boy, Anthony Martin Archuleta, has been charged as an adult with murder. Investigators say Archuleta and a friend told Zahorka, 38, he could not use the pay phone because they were waiting for a call. Zahorka protested and got into a shoving match when he was shot.
"I'm going to see that he doesn't die over just a phone call," said Pursiful, who has formed a group called Brothers Against Gang Violence.
Pursiful hopes the BAGV march, expected to draw between 500 and 1,000 people, will also send a message to legislators that they still need to fund more juvenile lock-up facilities.