KEARNS — A recent rash of high tensions among rival gang members boiled over Wednesday near Kearns High School when a 16-year-old student was shot and killed during a confrontation in the street.
Esteban Manuel Saidi died in a local hospital early Wednesday evening after being transported there in critical condition earlier in the day, Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said. According to the sheriff's department, two other 16-year-olds turned themselves in to the school resource officer shortly after the shooting. Hutson confirmed that both of the juveniles had been booked into a juvenile detention facility.
The incident began about noon on a residential street about two blocks west of the high school near 5500 South and 4800 West. Kearns student Thomas Guertner, who was not involved in the incident, said he had heard the victim had just finished lunch and was headed back to school with friends when they were confronted by another group.
The two groups had ties to rival gangs, Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said. An argument between the two ensued, which ended when one teen fired multiple shots, striking Saidi at least once, Winder said.
Ray Badovinatz was making a delivery in the area when he heard one of the shots and turned onto the street where the shooting occurred.
"It went 'pop' and they were running" he said. "I saw one group of kids on a dead run. The others were just standing in the street."
Badovinatz estimated there were a total of 10 to 11 teens in the two groups.
Donald Gonyea, who lives on the street where the shooting happened, said he had seen those teens before, hanging around the neighborhood during school hours.
Several students told the Deseret News the shooter and the victim had been feuding for a long time. At least nine students said they had heard the two were going to fight during school Wednesday morning.
"They're about the same size," a 17-year-old senior said. "So I thought it might be a fair fight. No one thought he would have brought a (expletive) gun into the whole thing."
Although many believed the confrontation was likely gang-related, several students told the Deseret News they did not expect the shooter, a member of the football team, according to some students, to take the action he did.
"He was doing good in school, keeping his grades up and just hanging out with the wrong friends," said another 17-old-student after school. "I don't think he was in a gang, but his friends for sure were."
After the shooting, Saidi was helped by friends to the school, where they sought help from the school resource officer. The school called 911, and the boy was taken to a hospital.
Kearns High School was put on lockdown, but Winder emphasized that at no time was anyone inside the school at risk. The lockdown was lifted at 2 p.m. and students were allowed to go home.
A short time after the shooting, two of the suspects contacted the resource officer and turned themselves in, Winder said. Winder said just that morning he was talking to the head of his gang unit about elevated tensions among rival gang members in the area due to recent events.
Over the past two weeks, there have been at least five gang-related shootings or stabbings involving teenagers. The only one that investigators said could be tied to Wednesday's shooting was a stabbing in Taylorsville over the weekend.
On Friday, three adults and two teenagers, all with gang ties, were arrested by Taylorsville police and members of the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit after a possible road rage and stabbing. One victim suffered superficial puncture wounds, according to police.
The victim in Wednesday's shooting was a member of the same gang as the suspects in Friday's stabbing, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Schoenfeld of the Metro Gang Unit. The juveniles taken into custody after Wednesday's shooting belonged to the same gang as the victim in Friday's stabbing, he said.
There have been at least four other violent incidents with gang ties,
Also Friday, South Jordan police arrested a man and booked him into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault with a gang enhancement after a shooting between people in two vehicles. The injury was superficial.
Police say rival gang members confronted each other during a house party in Cottonwood Heights Saturday, resulting in one man being shot in the leg. Investigators said the two may have been arguing about recent gang activity in the valley.
Also on Saturday, a 15-year-old boy was shot and taken to the hospital in critical condition after a shooting at a fast-food restaurant near 4645 S. 4000 West. A 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.
On Jan. 9, an 18-year-old man was shot in what was originally believed to be a road-rage incident, but investigators later said it was actually gang-related. The victim in that shooting died from his injuries about a week later.
As of Wednesday, Schoenfeld said there was no evidence linking the recent shootings with Wednesday's confrontation near Kearns High School. But he said, "We're seeing a lot more violence from juvenile gang members."
Adding to the concern of officers is that many of the recent incidents of gang violence have happened in public places where the potential for harm to innocent bystanders is great, Hutson said.
As for why there seems to be a spike in gang activity, Schoenfeld said his office is in the process of gathering intelligence to try to come up with an answer.
Winder said the recent increase in gang activity has prompted his office to "reinvigorate" its efforts to deter gang violence. It also should be a call to all residents to ask themselves, "What are we going to do as a community to resolve it?" Winder said.
Contributing: Jacob Hancock E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com