I-15 shooting likely gang-related

A shooting on I-15 appears to be gang-related, law enforcement officials said.

The Utah Highway Patrol said the shooting on the I-15 southbound collector near 2100 South on Jan. 9 may have been the result of a gang dispute.

"All indicators and evidence seems to indicate this was not a road rage or texting scenario," Utah Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jeff Nigbur said.

The UHP revealed Wednesday that about 15 minutes before the freeway shooting, 18-year-old Cesar Ramirez and his passenger had gotten into a verbal altercation at the intersection of 900 South and West Temple with the people inside a black sports car.

Surveillance cameras from a nearby business captured Ramirez's Jeep Cherokee and the sports car. The sports car turns, followed by the Cherokee. Also on the tape is a red passenger car that UHP troopers would like to find. They could be witnesses to whatever led up to the shooting, Nigbur said.

"Was there just some type of gang signs thrown at each other and that started everything, or was it something that had been building up? We still don't know," he said.

Anyone with information is urged to call the UHP at 801-887-3800.

Ramirez remains hospitalized after being shot in the left armpit, police said. His passenger, who is currently in the Utah County Jail on an unrelated charge, initially told troopers that it may have been road rage because Ramirez was text messaging.

The shooting shut down a large swath of freeway at the height of Friday's afternoon rush hour traffic.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com

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