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Fifth man arrested in Browns Canyon party shooting

The Summit County Justice Center at Silver Summit
Wikimedia Commons
The Summit County Justice Center houses both the Summit County attorney's and sheriff's offices, and nearby, the county jail.

Another man has been arrested for discharging firearms at a large party near Peoa in May.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 25-year-old West Valley City man June 27 on five counts of discharging a firearm and causing injury.

He is at least the fifth person arrested since a dispute turned violent between party organizers and a group of men at a Browns Canyon Airbnb.

Four men have been charged, and charges against a fifth person were dropped after prosecutors learned he was a minor.

Court documents are unclear if the fifth man was with party organizers, who allegedly fired the first shots, or with the men kicked out of the party.

Deputies arrested him at his home in West Valley where a search turned up guns, ammunition, firearm accessories and clothing matching what the fifth suspect was wearing in security footage of the shootout.

Deputies also accuse him of using an “AK-47-style weapon.” Security footage shows others used handguns, court papers state.

Deputies found almost 50 bullet casings at the scene and only two people were injured.

The three party organizers facing charges are out on house arrest. One of the men kicked out of the party is being held in the Summit County jail without bail. All are awaiting upcoming court dates.

Updated: July 2, 2024 at 10:29 AM MDT
Prosecutors did file charges late Monday, July 1, against Jose Carlos Mendez-Villa, the 25-year-old West Valley City man.

He is facing five second-degree felony counts of discharging a firearm, two of those with bodily injury. All five charges have gang enhancements attached, which means they could carry steeper penalties if he's convicted.