4 arrested in shotgun shooting

WEST VALLEY CITY — Four people were arrested and police were looking for one more Monday after a group with a sawed-off shotgun opened fire at a man over the weekend.

About 2:30 a.m. Sunday, five men approached another man in an apartment complex near 1800 West and 2500 South, said West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan.

An officer, who happened to be nearby, heard the men talk to the victim in a foreign language, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.

One of the five men then "produced a sawed-off shotgun, pointing it directly at a male victim standing at the entrance to the building," jail records state.

The man with the gun fired two rounds as the victim ran into his apartment. The target was not injured. The five men ran into a different nearby apartment, which was observed by the officer, McLachlan said. He called for backup, and police were able to get four of the men to come out of the apartment and surrender without further incident. The fifth man, the alleged gunman, apparently either slipped out or never went inside and was not found. The search for him continued Monday.

A sawed-off shotgun and a 12-gauge shotgun were recovered from the apartment.

McLachlan said investigators were looking Monday at whether the incident was gang-related.

Hoeun Chea, 28; Sovanna Tes, 20; Sophann Phin, 21; and Mara Sreng, 21, were all booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of attempted murder.

In 1998, a jury found Chea not guilty of two attempted murder charges in 3rd District Court, but he was convicted of aggravated assault in 2006, according to court records.

Anyone with information on the fifth shooter can call the police department at 801-840-4000.

E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com