4 roommates charged in fatal shooting of teenage girl driving a truck
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CEDAR CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — Four Cedar City men in their early 20s were charged Monday with chasing and gunning down a 17-year-old girl because they believed she was stalking them.
Michael Edward Hess-Witacki and Ethan Andrew Galloway, both 23, are each charged in 5th District Court with murder and 12 counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, first-degree felonies; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony; and drug possession, a class B misdemeanor.
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Aldric S. Felipe, 21, and Matthew D. Sorber-Petri, 22, were each charged Monday in 5th District Court with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony; and drug possession, a class A misdemeanor.
On Friday, a black pickup truck driven by Hess-Witacki pulled up next to another vehicle being driven by 17-year-old KayLee Dutton. Galloway fired a dozen rounds into the vehicle, a police booking affidavit states.
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Dutton was struck, causing her to swerve off the road and crash through a vinyl fence near the intersection of Midvalley Road and 4300 West. An 18-year-old woman in the passenger seat sustained a shrapnel injury to her leg but was able to call 911.
Deputies used witness interviews and surveillance videos to develop leads in the case.
“After developing many leads, investigators turned their attention to a townhome complex located off Lund Highway at 1645 North and 3200 West. There, they discovered a vehicle that potentially matched the suspect’s vehicle description. While at this location, investigators observed a male leaving one of the apartments and walking toward a black Chevy truck. This individual was believed to be the truck’s owner and was taken into investigative detention. Subsequently, two other roommates were leaving the townhome and taken into custody for questioning. The fourth roommate was at work but was later located and taken into custody,” according to a statement Sunday from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
Hess-Witucki and Galloway were arrested after being questioned by investigators.
“Their justification for chasing the victim’s vehicle was they believed they had previously observed the victim’s vehicle in their neighborhood and presumed the occupants of the victim’s vehicle were (stalking) them,” the affidavit alleges. “At the conclusion of the interview, Ethan wrote a letter of apology to the parents of the victim, describing the reasoning why he chased the victim’s vehicle and shot the victim-driver.”
Sorber-Petrie is accused of allowing his two roommates to take his gun, knowing it would be used to confront the teen. Felipe is accused of not telling anyone that his two roommates chased after the girl.
“After the shooting occurred, all the involved suspects discussed and had full knowledge of the events leading up to the shooting and after, including recovering the spent shell casings and hiding them in a container within the residence,” according to the affidavit.