MIDVALE, Utah — A third suspect has been arrested for the alleged murder of a 23-year-old man last week in Midvale.
On Sept. 18, police and paramedics responded to a car crash near Jackson Street and La Salle Drive. They found the car in the front yard of a home, with one victim in the car. The first responders attempted life-saving measures, but the man ultimately died from his injuries. He was identified by police as 23-year-old Nathan Snowball of West Valley City, although his family identified him as Mason Snowball in a GoFundMe.
Investigators later discovered that Snowball had a bullet wound on the back of his arm that was bleeding.
Unified Police interviewed a witness who said he was in his car in a nearby parking lot when he heard a gunshot, then saw Snowball's car fleeing from that same parking lot with its lights off before it crashed.
Police obtained video footage from nearby residents' security cameras, which showed two suspects walking into the parking lot. Just a few minutes later, the sound of a gunshot was captured, and the suspects were seen fleeing the area on foot.
The footage led detectives to a home in Midvale, where they took several people into custody for interviews. They learned that the suspects were planning to "rob a guy of his weed." Police said there were unopened boxes of THC vape cartridges in Snowball's car.
After going through the victim's phone, they learned that a 14-year-old had set up a "buy" with Snowball that evening. The teen was arrested, but his name was not released because he is a minor.
UPD confirmed to FOX 13 News that they arrested another juvenile suspect a few days later.
Police identified a third suspect who they believe was involved in the shooting: 21-year-old Christiano Antonio Madison, who goes by the nickname "Menace," according to the arrest report.
Investigators said they learned that Madison's mom was looking for him because he had missed an appointment with his probation officer, and he had left home with a 9mm gun on Sept. 7. They said the single shell casing they found at the scene on the 18th was from a 9mm. They had not found the weapon as of Friday's arrest report.
Both Madison and the 14-year-old suspect were linked to the same gang, according to court documents.
Madison was booked on suspicion of murder and aggravated robbery. He is being held without bail.
It was not stated in court documents whether police have identified which of the three suspects pulled the trigger.
