Three charged in shooting of West Valley City teen

Three men have been charged with allegedly kidnapping — then shooting and wounding — a West Valley City teen to steal drugs from him.

Brandon Carl Montoya, 28, Robert Salvador Apodaca, 22, and Gilbert E. Vigil, 19, were charged in 3rd District Court on Friday with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and four counts of felony discharge of a firearm, all first-degree felonies. Apodaca was also charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.

On Nov. 28, police claim Montoya called a 16-year-old boy and asked him if he wanted to sell prescription painkillers. A West Valley City detective determined that Montoya also called Apodaca and told him he needed a gun to scare someone selling drugs and to "make some easy money," according to the charges. Apodaca in turn called Vigil, who agreed to provide the gun, and the three got into Apodaca's girlfriend's Chevy Malibu and picked up the teen near 6700 W. 3800 South, the charges add.

Once in the car, Vigil pointed a revolver at the teen and Montoya demanded he hand over his drugs "because he did not want him to die," the charges state. The teen refused, so Apodaca told Vigil to shoot him — which he did, four times, and the teen "screamed that he did not want to die and to be let out of the car," the charges add.

Police say the car pulled to the side of the road at 7135 W. 3500 South, where one suspect pulled the wounded teen out of the car. The car drove off and someone found the teen lying on the sidewalk, shot once in the stomach and three times in his right thigh.

The teen was taken to the hospital, and West Valley City detectives arrested the three men the next day.

Apodaca told investigators that he cleaned the Malibu after the shooting, throwing away the floor mats. He threw his clothes out the car's window while driving on the freeway. During questioning, Vigil told police where the gun was hidden in his bedroom.

Officers recovered both the weapon and the Malibu.

mmcfall@sltrib.com