2 people arrested and charged in the death of a Judge Memorial student

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – Two documented gang members, including a 17-year-old boy, have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a 17-year-old Judge Memorial Catholic High School student in Nebraska last month.

According to charging documents, prosecutors believe the victim was an “innocent bystander” and that the shooting in a West Valley parking lot was aimed at another person in the victim's car.

Mare Biel, 18, of Glendale, Arizona, and Bevan Kuajian, 17, of West Valley City, were charged Friday in 3rd District Court with murder (first-degree felony), discharging a firearm with serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice (second-degree felony), and eight counts of illegal discharge of a firearm (third-degree felony).

The charges were initially kept under wraps until Biel and Kuajian could be located and arrested. Kuajian was 16 at the time of the shooting.

The two are accused of shooting Nuer Deng, a student at Judge Memorial and member of the basketball team, who was sitting in the back seat of a car on July 13.

That day, Deng and his friends were standing in the parking lot of Winco, 2592 S. 5600 South, looking at their cell phones when an Infiniti pulled up behind them.

“The passenger of the Infiniti rolled down his window and a black handgun appeared. (A passenger) heard 'three or four' shots and could see the muzzle flash,” charging documents say.

Nine bullet casings were found at the crime scene. The victims sped away, but the other two occupants of the car could see that Deng was bleeding from his chest.

“I was shot,” Deng told the others, according to the indictment.

Deng died shortly after his arrival at a local hospital.

Read the full story from KSL.com here.

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