Whether or not two 17-year-old boys knew each other before a fatal shooting Saturday is unclear.
But now, with one buried and the other in jail, it might not matter.Joshua Boyd was buried Monday. The boy police believe shot him was charged with murder Wednesday in 3rd District Court.
Investigators believe the shooter may have been seeking revenge because he believed Boyd had fired shots at his house earlier that night.
Prosecutors say Stephen Colton Kratzer entered a house at 1112 S. 1100 West early Saturday, confronted Boyd and then shot him in the head. A man hiding in a bathroom during the incident told police he heard the gunman enter a bedroom and say, "I'm (expletive) crazy, you shot my mom's house."
About 11:40 p.m. Friday, a party inside Kratzer's house was interrupted when several shots were fired at the home from a moving vehicle. Most of the bullets landed on the front door of the home at 1387 W. Glenrose Drive (1150 South), and nobody was hit.
"We know there was a drive-by on Kratzer's house," said Salt Lake Police detective Chuck Oliver. "There were no witnesses. We can't say whether Josh was involved or not."
Oliver said it's unclear whether the boys knew each other, although they could have been associated through friends. Neither one is a documented gang member, but they associated with gangsters, Oliver said, adding it's difficult to say conclusively who's involved with gangs or how to even define them.
Boyd's family denies that he was involved in gangs and say he couldn't have participated in the drive-by shooting since he was home when it happened. The teen was with his mother and grandparents Friday night moving furniture and eating his favorite dish - hash browns - until he left to take two girls to the house on 1100 West, his grandmother Judy Boyd said.
Witnesses told the family that Joshua Boyd denied he knew anything about the drive-by shooting and was trying to calm down the alleged shooter when he was shot.
Judy Boyd said her grandson was always a peacemaker. Even during sporting events, he wanted everyone to get along, she said.
Joshua Boyd, who lived with his grandparents until one month ago, was a talented baseball player and wanted to be a pilot after graduation, Judy Boyd said. He was placed on juvenile probation last year for assault after pushing down a fellow East High student who had made an obscene gesture. He was then transferred to South City Alternative School.
Kratzer's mother told police that her son arrived home shortly after the drive-by shooting and became upset after learning about it. The teen then said he "thought he knew who did it" and left shortly thereafter "visibly upset," court documents state.
Less than two hours after the drive-by shooting, prosecutors say Kratzer forced his way into the 1100 West residence and shot Boyd in the head.
Police later arrested Kratzer at an east Salt Lake residence. Kratzer has been charged with murder, a first-degree felony. He is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.