This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
South Salt Lake • One man has died from a shooting that left six others injured Saturday night at a South Salt Lake reception center.
A 19-year-old man who was shot in the chest died Sunday morning, said Officer Gary Keller of the South Salt Lake Police Department. The identity of the man was not being released pending family notification.
A stabbing victim was in critical condition, and the other five were still hospitalized.
Sunday morning, police continued their investigation into the shooting that started at 11:20 p.m. Saturday inside the Arbat Reception Hall at 375 E. 3300 South and spilled out into the street. They did not immediately name a suspect or make any arrests.
Police said the shooting appears to be gang-related, but none of the several people detained and questioned Saturday night are providing any information about the incident.
"They aren't being very forthcoming," Keller said. "We're still processing the scene to try to get more information."
Armen Galsyan, who identified himself as the owner of the complex, said Sunday the event was a birthday party and most people had left when the incident happened. He estimated that 100 to 120 people attended the party. He said that before the trouble began, it appeared to be a "regular party for us."
According to the Facebook fan page of "Big Tone," who it said does "gangsta rap," the gathering included a rap show.
Keller said four people were transported with gunshot wounds and a fifth was stabbed. A sixth person was transported with pregnancy complications that developed amid the chaos and a seventh person was injured in a traffic accident that occurred as people were scrambling to safety, Keller said.
"There were a lot of people trying to get out of the area," Keller said. "When they start firing guns, it gets chaotic very quickly."
An off-duty police officer, who does not work for South Salt Lake, lives near the reception hall and ran to the scene when he heard the gunfire, Keller said, though it was unclear what the officer's involvement may have been.
No guns have been recovered, and it's unclear how many shooters there were. A knife was found in a nearby side street, but police are still investigating whether it's tied to the stabbing.
Law enforcement officers were still on the scene Sunday collecting evidence. The street in front of the reception center was littered with beer cans. A half-full bottle of hard liquor and a full can of beer could be seen on top of a Jeep. Police also collected what looked like a tackle box that could have been a first aid kit.
Keller said several agencies responded Saturday night to help South Salt Lake police deal with what he described as a three-block-long crime scene.
The Arbat Reception Hall is set amid a mix of businesses that includes a bicycle shop, African market, restaurant, tile store and smoke shop. One sign also advertised the "Salon de Fiesta" reception hall.
It is close to several residences as well as a South Salt Lake park.
Keller said a van fleeing the scene ran through a fence and into a creek near the park. There was no sign of the van at the creek Sunday but there was crime tape on a fence and several pieces of what looked like white fence in the water.
Eduardo Maldonado, who works as a cook at The Med Cafe across 3300 South from the Arbat Reception Hall, was just getting off work when the incident occurred around 11:20 p.m. He used his camera phone to video tape people fleeing the scene as police vehicles and ambulances converged there.
"It gets pretty rowdy over there," said Tanya Chapman, who works at Med Cafe. "Last night was actually tame for that place. Sometimes, we wonder what is going on."
Kathy Larsen, another Med worker, said she has seen minor squabbles at the reception center, but nothing like what happened Saturday night.
Sheena McFarland contributed to this story.