ST. GEORGE — A St. George man is accused of shooting and wounding another man overnight Wednesday in an attempted killing, and five others are charged with felonies for allegedly assisting him in the aftermath.
Riley Joseph Guerrero, 18, is charged in 5th District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony, and using a dangerous weapon in a fight, a class A misdemeanor.
Guerrero allegedly shot a 21-year-old man near 400 East and 800 South about 4 a.m. Wednesday. The man was hospitalized with a bullet wound to the torso and underwent surgery at Dixie Regional Medical Center. He is expected to survive.
The shooting began as a dispute over money, according to charging documents. St. George police said Guerrero is a known gang member.
Eugene Paul Thompson Jr., 24; Seth Kimball Cox, 21; Nevada Maria Jennings, 18; and Taylor Morrison, 20; each are charged with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, for allegedly helping Guerrero avoid arrest until Thursday afternoon.
Sarah Strem, 20, is charged with failure to stop at the command of police officers, a third-degree felony, for allegedly evading police while Guerrero was in her vehicle. Chelsi Sorrels, 21, is accused of felony drug possession in connection with the investigation into Guerrero.
Cox is also charged with submitting a written false statement, a class B misdemeanor. Members of the group arrested in the case also face a series of other misdemeanor charges filed this week.
Some of Guerrero's associates were allegedly witnesses to the shooting and gave responding officers misleading information. Others harbored him in a vehicle while he was hiding from police and tried to help him leave town, charges state.
Guerrero tried to escape capture by getting into a second vehicle, this one driven by Strem, but they were soon cornered in a driveway near 100 E. Telegraph St., all according to St. George police.
Investigators said they later found the gun used by Guerrero in a remote area west of St. George.
"The investigations division showed amazing teamwork with detectives from a variety of units," the St. George Police Department said in a statement released on Facebook. "They put in long hours pursuing the leads that resulted in this arrest. We are very pleased with the outcome of the investigation."
St. George police also praised residents for tips that led to Guerrero's arrest.
"We very much appreciate and rely upon your support to keep our community safe," the department said in a separate Facebook statement.
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