A man who prosecutors say is a material witness to a gang-related shootout at a Millcreek convenience store in November, which left one person dead and another critically injured, has been arrested after police say he failed to show up to two prior court hearings.
Miguel Jerald Yipa, 21, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Tuesday after a warrant was issued on Sept. 12 for his arrest.
About 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2022, Talib "Kunda" Ahmed, 18, was shot four times and killed in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven, 4051 S. State. Investigators say the confrontation involved two carloads of rival gang members who pulled into the parking lot.
Houssein Musse, 18, and Salman Farhan Ahmed, 19, of Salt Lake City, were each charged with murder and three counts of discharge of a firearm, first-degree felonies.
Nine months later, Yessa Harun Nena, 20, of Midvale, was charged in 3rd District Court with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and failing to respond to an officer's signal to stop, a class A misdemeanor.
Yipa "acknowledged being present at the convenience store where the homicide took place" on Nov. 11 and "security video captured at the time of the homicide shows that he was facing, and appeared to react to, the shootings at issue in these cases," according to a warrant filed in 3rd District Court.
On July 5, Yipa was served with a subpoena while in the Salt Lake County Jail, ordering him to appear in court on Aug. 15. But on that day, Yipa missed the court hearing and later told police "that he had overslept," the warrant states.
On Sept. 10, Yipa was served with another subpoena to appear in court on Sept. 12. He missed that hearing, too. Because of that, a warrant was issued for Yipa's arrest as prosecutors believe he "will not appear and testify unless bond is required."