Impromptu party ends with shooting

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A party at a house whose owners were out of town ended in a shooting early Saturday.

An 18-year-old man decided to throw a small party at his parents' house near 8000 South and 2500 East on Friday night, even though he didn't live there anymore, said Cottonwood Heights police officer Beau Babka.

Friends kept arriving, however, and called other friends and the party steadily grew. A little after 11 p.m., neighbors called police to complain about the noise, Babka said. Sometime between midnight and 1 a.m. Saturday, officers were called back for another noise disturbance.

About 3 a.m., investigators were called to Alta View Hospital for a man who had been shot in the thigh, Babka said. Detectives were able to link the victim to the party, he said. The alleged shooters were gone by the time officers arrived.

Most people from the party, including the victim, were reluctant to cooperate with police, Babka said. From what investigators were able to determine as of Saturday afternoon, some of the people who came to the house were known gang members, Babka said.

At some point during the evening, the talk inside the house may have shifted to recent gang activity in the valley, and one man tried to tell others that a particular gang couldn't have committed a recent crime, Babka said. A confrontation between that man and another became heated, and the second man threatened the first.

The first man went home, got some of his friends and his older brother, a known gang member, and returned to the party, Babka said.

Inside the house again, the man and his brother confronted the man who originally made the threats. He pulled out a gun, pointed it at the brothers and fired twice, with the gun malfunctioning each time, Babka said. He quickly fixed the problem and fired again, this time hitting the older brother in the thigh, Babka said.

The bullet went completely through the man's leg. He was treated and released from the hospital early Saturday. The search for the gunman continued Saturday afternoon.

Anyone with information can call police at 840-4000.

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POLICE/COURTS