SALT LAKE CITY — A man who police say was on of the triggermen in a fatal shooting outside a Salt Lake City church in January is now in custody in Salt Lake County after being extradited from California.
31-year-old John Vea Uasike was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Thursday. He was arrested in California in April for his alleged role in the shooting on January 7 that left two dead and injured 6 others.
Uasike faces charges of murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse at 660 N. Redwood Road, where a funeral was taking place inside. Thirty-eight-year-old Sione Vatuvei and 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo were killed during the incident.
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According to charging documents, witnesses gave descriptions of who they saw in the parking lot before, during, and after the shooting. One witness was then shown a photo of Uasike inside the church during the funeral and confirmed that he was one of the people who fired gunshots.
Uasike himself was originally listed as a victim because he was wounded during the exchange of gunfire. But he headed back to California after being treated and released from a local hospital.
Salt Lake City Police Detective Michael Ruff said investigators were later able to figure out his alleged role in the shooting, then tracked him down near Sacramento, California.
In the weeks after the shooting, Ryan Daniel Toutai, 32, and Fineeva Pomona Maka, 26, were arrested in connection with the shooting. They have both been charged in federal court: Toutai with "unlawful disposition of a firearm," and Maka with "felon in possession of a firearm." Toutai was also charged locally by the Salt Lake County DA with obstruction of justice.
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Both Toutai and Maka, who have been tied to a local gang, had previously been pictured with one of the firearms used in the shooting.
Ezekiel Isaiah Tai, 22, was also charged with obstruction of justice. Investigators said Tai dropped two of the shooting victims off at a local hospital, then went back to a West Jordan residence where he was seen cleaning the interior of his SUV. Blood was later found in the SUV and on Tai's shoes, documents state. Prosecutors say he is also connected to a local gang.
Meanwhile, the case is still open, and the investigation is still active. SLCPD investigators believe there may be more individuals involved in the shooting, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 801-799-3000.
