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4th arrest made, charges filed in fatal Midvale wedding shooting

Ganesh Center.jpg
Posted at 4:00 PM, Nov 19, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-19 18:24:44-05

MIDVALE, Utah — A fourth person was arrested in connection to a fatal shooting outside a Midvale wedding earlier this month.

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Troy Latorio Kajiyama, 19, was taken into custody Thursday at his mother's home. Kajiyama, along with three others, were officially charged Friday with various offenses surrounding the death of 28-year-old Oscar Avila.

Avila was found shot outside the Ganesh Center on Nov. 6. Court documents say Avila was attending the wedding of his parents when Kajiyama, Daniel Garcia, and Guillermo Herrera entered the building and began "causing problems with guests, many of whom were associated with a rival gang."

When guests asked the men to leave, Kajiyama allegedly pulled up his shirt to reveal a handgun before he and the others left the building.

Avila and others followed the group outside, leading to an altercation in which Avila was pistol-whipped by Herrera. As Avila was on the ground, Herrera pointed the gun at witnesses before allegedly shooting the 28-year-old once.

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The men, along with another suspect, Marqus James, fled the scene.

Herrera was arrested Nov. 13 and now faces charges of murder, aggravated assault, firearm possession and obstruction of justice.

Garcia, who was arrested at home where police found a gun wrapped in a shirt and sweatshirt matching ones seen in surveillance video, was arrested Nov. 11 and faces charges of firearm possession, obstruction of justice and riot.

Charges of obstruction of justice were filed against James. Back in 2015, James pleaded guilty to third-degree felony shooting toward a person in the death of a man he had argued with on a bus.

Following the plea deal, the Salt Lake Tribune reported James, then 16, was apologetic over the shooting, which was also gang-related.

"The guy, he was trying to pick a fight with me," James said. "And he argued with me. And one thing led to another and I did something I regret. If I could change it, I would. If I could trade places with him, I would."