A man charged with murder for his part in a 2005 gang-related melee and shootout in Salt Lake City's Avenues neighborhood that left one person dead pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser charges.
Moses Unique Ellis, 21, pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to third-degree felony counts of homicide by assault and illegal discharge of a firearm for the Nov. 27, 2005, death of 35-year-old Salvador Gomez.
Ellis entered so-called Alford pleas, meaning he does not admit guilt but wanted to take advantage of a plea deal to avoid possible conviction on more serious charges.
Gomez was shot in the chest as some 30 members of the same gang -- young gangsters versus older gang members -- fought near Terrace Hills Drive and 11th Avenue, police said at the time.
Another man, a 51-year-old, also was shot. Neighbors reported hearing up to 30 gunshots. Witnesses attributed at least 14 of those rounds to the .762-caliber rifle Ellis was shooting, police wrote in the charges.
Ellis, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was charged as an adult.
He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 14 by Judge Randall Skanchy.
