Venezuelan illegal immigrant arrested after gang-related shooting near Utah apartment complex: report

According to KUTV2 News, police arrested Alejandro Palmar Romero, 19, after a shooting incident took place near the Emerson Apartments in Herriman on Sunday. The shooting incident comes as the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang has been known to be operating in Colorado, just south of the Beehive State. Herriman police said they believe the shooting is "gang-related."

The shooting resulted in a bullet wound to the shoulder of another person involved and a car crashing through a fence. Herriman Police Sgt. Greg Shaver confirmed that Romero is from Venezuela in a statement given to KUTV.

An affidavit from the case said, “Based on the statements from the victims and the evidence on their vehicle Alejandro was arrested on multiple charges," per Gephardt Daily News. "Alejandro is an illegal alien and would likely flee the area if released."

Police arrived in the area on Sunday night after there was a report of shots fired at 11:30 pm. Upon going to the Emerson apartments, they found a vehicle crashed into a fence by a pool as well as three empty shell casings with one live round in the parking lot.

“Shortly after officers arrived, a male and a female came to the scene and claimed to be in the vehicle that crashed,” the police documents said. They told police officers that they had been shot at by people in a white car. When officers asked if anyone else was with the two, they named Romero, who was later taken into custody. Witnesses had reported a man running from the scene in clothing similar to what Romero had been wearing when he was located by police.

“Alejandro claimed that he was at his brother’s girlfriend’s house and after leaving in a vehicle he was pursued by unknown people in a vehicle. That vehicle crashed into the back of the vehicle Alejandro was in, causing it to drive into the fence. Alejandro claimed he was afraid and ran from the scene," the report stated. Romero claimed that "no one in his vehicle had a weapon or fired shots."

This follows viral news coverage of Venezuelan gang activity in Aurora, Colorado, where members of Tren de Aragua (TDA) were able to terrorize and take over an apartment complex. Additionally, the gang has reportedly been able to take over an El Paso hotel. In New York City, TDA has been able to recruit more members by using migrant shelters, often threatening the families of other immigrants if the prospective member does not join the gang.

Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue in the Utah’s neighbor to the north, Idaho, noted in a recent statement surrounding the gang that TDA has been “tied to confirmed criminal activity in Utah and Colorado.”