'Shot caller' arrested in connection with March Kearns shooting
by Pat Reavy ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Lauriano Robert Herrera, 31, was charged in connection with a gang-related Kearns shooting.
- Herrera is charged with attempted murder and obstruction of justice.
- Three others face similar charges in the case.
KEARNS — A fourth man, who police say is a "shot caller" within his gang, has been arrested in connection with a gang-related shooting in Kearns in March.
On March 19, at 4055 West and 4865 South, a man was shot and stabbed after being approached by two other men who asked if he "banged," according to charging documents. The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Investigators believe that after the shooting, the two alleged assailants got into a vehicle driven by a third person and fled.
"(The victim) sustained significant injuries, including a long bone fracture, hemothorax, liver injury, and hollow viscus abdominal trauma," the charges state.
Gang detectives with the Unified Police Department, along with members of the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested Diego Cruz Soto, 18, and Angel Reymundo Garcia-Cortes, 20, both of Kearns — in connection with the shooting. A third man, Jose Enrique Gutierrez Gonzalez, 28, of Kearns, was taken into custody in Arizona. All three are documented gang members, according to police.
Cruz, Gutierrez and Garcia-Cortes were each charged in 3rd District Court with attempted murder and two counts of shooting and causing serious injury, first-degree felonies; and obstruction of justice and aggravated assault, second-degree felonies. Garcia-Cortes was also charged with being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony.
Last week, a fourth man, Lauriano Robert Herrera, 31, of West Valley City, was charged in 3rd District Court with attempted murder, a first-degree felony; and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. The charges were filed under seal until Herrera could be taken into custody, and were unsealed on Friday.
"Through multiple investigations by the Metro Gang Unit, (officers) have learned there is currently internal conflict between members of (two separate factions of a street gang)," charging documents state.
According to investigators, the victim's brother is a "well-known" gang member currently serving time in the Utah State Prison. The brother belongs to the same gang as the alleged assailants, but is a member of a different faction, the charges state.
As the investigation into the attack continued, police were notified of a gang member arrested in American Fork who had numerous pieces of paper in his car that police recognized as "kites," according to the charges. "Kites" are "small pieces of paper or letters that are drafted by high-ranking gang members within the corrections facilities that are passed or mailed to other gang members to share relevant news or information regarding rules or status of certain gang members."
One of the "kites" had the names and numbers of many of the "current shot callers of the gangs," according to the charges. "There are other names that list them as 'primos,' which are leaders that are designated by (gang) prison leaders to be shot callers on the street."
One of those monikers was identified as Herrera.
Upon further investigation, detectives learned that Herrera took a call from a person at the Utah State Prison who is not identified in court documents. During their conversation, Herrera tells the caller that the man who was later shot "needs to be checked" and that he knows where the victim lives, according to charging documents.
After the shooting, detectives say Herrera continued communicating with the men later arrested and charged for the assault, according to the charges.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Pat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.