A Halloween celebration in West Valley City turned tragic when gunfire erupted outside a party, leaving an 18-year-old dead and a 16-year-old injured. The West Valley City Police Department reported that the incident occurred around 12:40 a.m. yesterday near 4700 West and Palmer Drive. KUTV reported that Allen Montelongo of Salt Lake City had driven past the party and fired at a group standing in the roadway, before being fatally shot after someone in the crowd fired back.
Montelongo was pronounced dead at the scene, having crashed his car into a nearby fence. The shootout appears to have been a targeted confrontation, with no ongoing threat to the community, as police told KSL TV. The 16-year-old, from Sandy, sustained multiple gunshot wounds but is expected to survive after receiving medical treatment. A witness recounted hearing a sequence of noises reminiscent of “pop, pop, pop,” and the subsequent sound of “what sounded like garbage cans rolling over,” according to an interview with Marci Bonham by KSL TV.
Approximately two dozen teens and young adults were attending the party at the time of the shooting, as stated by West Valley City spokesperson Roxanne Vainuku in a statement obtained by KUTV. The identity of the shooter who returned fire, possibly acting in self-defense, has not been disclosed. However, all individuals involved in the incident have been identified, and any applicable charges will be screened as the investigation continues…