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WEST JORDAN — Two men have been sentenced for discharging firearms in public in what prosecutors called a "western-style shootout" outside an apartment complex in West Valley City a year ago.
Timothy Roy Begay Jr., 18, of West Valley City, and Enrique Soto-Bernabe, 27, of West Jordan, both pleaded guilty to felony discharge of a firearm — admitting to firing guns in the direction of others as part of a coordinated fight.
Begay was not arrested until Nov. 18, about six months after a warrant was issued. He was sentenced Monday to a term of three to 15 years in the Utah State Prison after pleading guilty to the second-degree felony.
In Begay's statement supporting his plea on Jan. 17, he admitted that the discharge of his gun caused injury to another person, and he fired the gun intending to "intimidate or harass."
Begay was previously arrested in connection with shooting a 6-year-old girl in a nearby home in 2020, and was also involved in a shooting with gang members at a high school football game. He is a documented gang member, police say.
Soto-Bernabe was sentenced on March 13 to a term of zero to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended in favor of 36 months of probation. His charge was reduced to a third-degree felony as part of a plea deal.
Both men were sentenced by 3rd District Judge Chelsea Koch.
On April 16, 2022, West Valley police received multiple calls of shots fired at the Shadowbrook Apartments near 1600 West and 3900 South.
Soto-Bernabe was shot four times and was taken to a hospital before police arrived, according to charging documents. Begay was shot twice and was also taken to a hospital.
The man who drove Soto-Bernabe to the hospital told detectives there was an argument between the two the night before, and both sides claimed to have guns. At that point Soto-Bernabe left, but the next day the men began arguing on social media and agreed to a fight without guns.
Police say when more people showed up for the pre-arranged fight than anticipated, Soto-Bernabe grabbed a gun and brought it with him. Multiple gunshots were heard as the men were fistfighting.
