KSL.com/Salt Lake City The 16-year-old teenager who killed three people during the city’s WestFest festival last weekend was charged as an adult on Friday.
However, Sim Gill, the district attorney for Salt Lake County, stated that over the course of their investigation, it was found that the 41-year-old lady who was killed was eight weeks pregnant.
As a result, Matthiaz Centre Lauti Ioane-Register was charged with four counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, for each of the three gunshot victims as well as the pregnant woman’s unborn. In addition, the teenager faces nine counts of firearm discharge, five first-degree crimes, one second-degree felony, and three third-degree felonies in the 3rd District Court.
Despite the terrible murders, Ioane-Register grinned and chuckled when the police hauled him into custody and told him that an 18-year-old male who they claimed was his intended target had passed away. Ioane-Register responded that he simply enjoyed laughing at humorous things when asked what he found hilarious about (Lugundi) dying. According to prosecution documents, Ioane-Register claimed he was unaware of the deaths of a 41-year-old woman and an 8-month-old infant when questioned about it.
Around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, Hassan Lugundi, 18, of West Valley City, Fnu Reena, 41, of West Jordan, and an 8-month-old boy were shot and killed while they were at the WestFest carnival at Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South. According to the police, none of the victims are related to the boy.
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During the altercation, a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old female were both shot in the arms. After receiving care at nearby hospitals, they were let go. According to police, the other casualties were innocent bystanders, and Lugundi was the gunman’s sole intended target.
Twelve shell casings were found at the location by the police. According to the allegations, investigators claim that before dumping his gun, which was reported stolen from Louisiana, Ioane-Register fired it until the slide locked back.
Before police swiftly approached and arrested Ioane-Register, other members of the crowd began to pay attention to him as well.
A West Valley police officer helped Ioane-Register get off the ground and guided him toward the festival’s entrance due to the extremely stressful scenario. A number of people were shouting at Ioane-Register and trying to reach him. According to the charging documents, after being led to a small, secret location, the police repeatedly saw Ioane-Register smiling and looking around.
“I’m going to tell you guys right now,” Ioane-Register said eagerly, “because I know where I was aiming and where I was shooting, I know what I hit.” I didn’t hit anyone. According to the allegations, he stated, “I only hit one person.” Ioane-Register went on to say, “There was only one person I hit.” I had been punching him when he was already on the ground. I solely went after that person. No additional bullets flew in any other direction. There was just one path. So I can’t possibly hit that baby.
However, after watching security footage, investigators claimed to have seen gunfire continue even after Lugundi had fallen to the ground. Ioane-Register told authorities that the man with the gun was not him and that he found it on the ground, even after he and his mother had seen the footage of the incident. Then, Ioane-Register’s mother informed him that since it was captured on camera, he could not lie. Then she inquired as to who they had arrested and who they had caught. “Who is that on camera?” she asked him once more. According to the charges, Ioane-Register said it wasn’t him.
Reena and the 8-month-old, who was seated in a stroller next to his twin sibling, were shot once in the head, while Lugundi was shot five times, according to an autopsy.
According to Gill, Lugundi was friends with members of a rival gang, and Ioane-Register is a known gang member. On Friday, the district attorney was unable to confirm whether Ioane-Register went to WestFest in search of Lugundi or if the shooting was the consequence of a random encounter.
In this instance, all of the victims were having a good time at WestFest with their loved ones. The 16-year-old Ioane-Register brought a gun to a family gathering and started shooting, killing the victim he had targeted, along with an 8-month-old infant and a 41-year-old spectator who was 8 weeks pregnant. Two other minors were also hurt. Prosecutors stated in their court filings that “he has no regard for the lives or safety of others.”
According to federal law, Ioane-Register is not subject to the death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole, even though he was prosecuted as an adult. However, if found guilty of all four of the aggravated murder charges, he might receive sentences ranging from 25 years to life in prison.
According to West Valley police, they also found evidence of a shot being fired by a police officer during the encounter. No one was hit by that shot. That shooting is the subject of a different, independent inquiry.
