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RIVERTON — A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a killing in Riverton last month.
Thomas Leelynn Rose was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder. He is accused of fatally shooting another 19-year-old man in the Monarch Meadows neighborhood near Skippering Lane and Mimosa Street west of the Mountain View Corridor on Aug. 19. As of Wednesday, police have not yet released the victim's name.
The crime scene was unusual, according to police, because the victim was wearing a bulletproof vest and had a gun and a machete.
Following the shooting, police tracked down two men in Orem for questioning but they were ultimately not arrested. Rose was located at a Salt Lake home and arrested.
"Through use of state-of-the-art technology, DNA testing, and extensive interviews by Riverton detectives, the investigation was able to determine with additional physical evidence that Rose was directly involved in the shooting of the victim," Riverton police said in a statement Wednesday.
"Rose is a documented gang member with a history of weapons and drug violations," according to a police booking affidavit. "Thomas Rose took great lengths to avoid law enforcement contact after shooting and killing the victim. Thomas Rose has a lengthy history of gang membership, and weapons offenses."
Police say the investigation is still ongoing and other people may be arrested for obstructing the investigation. A motive for the killing has not been released.
