HOLLADAY, Utah — Two teenagers have been charged as adults in connection with the murder of a man outside a Holladay apartment complex.
Both Drake Preston Hernandez, 17, and Umda Woye Dike, 16, were charged with first-degree murder, obstruction of justice and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct following the fatal shooting on October 15.
After responding to the call of gunfire at the Chateau Foret complex, Unified Police officers were unable to find anything suspicious. However, hours later, following a separate 911 call, police discovered the body of a male victim, identified by family as 26-year-old Demajhio Smith, in a parking stall with a dollar bill in his hand.
Hernandez and Dike were taken into custody and a weapon was recovered.
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According to charging documents, Hernandez and Dike claimed they were walking together on Highland Drive when a man they claimed was Smith began yelling at them. The teens said Smith began walking towards them while saying "a bunch of weird stuff."
The boys said they yelled at Smith to stop following them, but when he continued, Dike pulled out a gun and pointed it toward Smith. Hernandez allegedly hit Smith in the face with his gun, and when Smith didn't appear to react, Dike did the same, leading to his gun going off.
Hernandez told police that after the shooting, the teens went their separate ways and he buried the guns at a construction site.
Smith's family told detectives that he was "diagnosed with intellectual delay and ADHD at 8 years old, and has extreme social anxiety." They added that he tended to laugh when stressed and would often walk in the area near the apartment complex.