Two 16-year-old boys have been arrested in the Jan. 18 drive-by shooting in West Valley City that killed Irving Alexis Chuba.
Chuba, 15, was driving a van with several teen passengers on Bangerter Highway around 9:45 p.m. when he encountered a vehicle near 3500 South Bangerter Highway. Chuba told his passengers that he was familiar with at least one occupant of the other vehicle, according to police.
Chuba tried to lose the other car, speeding, weaving through traffic and running red lights, police said. Traffic forced Chuba to slow down near 4100 South Bangerter, at which point the driver of the suspects’ vehicle pulled along side and fired several shots into Chuba’s van.
Chuba was hit by at least one bullet, according to a West Valley City police news release, as was his Chihuahua.
Chuba then attempted to turn onto 1400 South and hit another car. Chuba and the dog both died, but no one was injured in the crash and none of Chuba’s passengers were hit by bullets.
An obituary for Chuba posted on the Starks Funeral Parlor website states that Chuba was known for being a goofy, smiling kid who loved soccer and Chinese food. Chuba leaves behind his four siblings, mother and father.
According to a police news release, a lack of citizen reports on the homicide made identifying suspects difficult. However, police were able to zero in on the two teen boys.
The boys, who were not identified by police, were arrested Thursday and booked into the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center on suspicion of murder.