One dead in overnight shooting in Midvale

MIDVALE, Utah — Police are searching for the suspects in a shooting that left a man dead outside a wedding venue in Midvale.

The investigation is ongoing, but police suspect some “uninvited guests” showed up, leading to the death of a 28-year-old man.

The morning after a wedding is supposed to be filled with good memories, but that’s not the case for a family that gathered at a reception venue at 145 E. Fort Union Boulevard Saturday night.

Just steps from where some leftover ice was poured out, a set of candles were lit in the form of a cross.

“I feel so bad for him,” said Narinder Chechi, who was working next door at an Indian restaurant.

It was shortly after Chechi’s shift ended that officials with the Unified Police Department say 28-year-old Oscar Avila was shot.

#BREAKING: @UPDSL have identified the victim of last night’s deadly shooting at a wedding as Oscar Avila, 28. We’ll have more on @KSL5TV. https://t.co/UYQMSb5bYm pic.twitter.com/0mmdtPZE20

— Garna Mejia KSL (@GarnaMejiaKSL) November 7, 2021

UPD’s Sgt. Melody Cutler said police responded to the call around 11:26 p.m.

“When officers arrived, they found a male out on the sidewalk, who had what appeared to be gunshot wounds,” said Cutler. “Life-saving measures were being attempted by some of the guests — there was a wedding going on here last night. Law enforcement took over. Shortly after that, Unified Fire arrived and declared him deceased.”

Sunday morning, Chechi said he spoke with Oscar Avila’s family, including his dad.

“He was very sad. His father was crying,” said Chechi. “He said, ‘My son was, somebody killed.’”

KSL’s Garna Mejia spoke with Avila’s girlfriend, Tania Arambula, who is not ready to speak on-camera, but shared that the wedding was for Avila’s parents.

She said two or three men showed up to the reception Saturday night — one had a blue bandanna covering his face with a black hoodie and was claiming to be a security guard.

Then, the details get hazy.

According to Arambula, at some point, the suspects were kicked out, and when Oscar went outside, they shot him.

It appears the suspects also fired shots at family members, including Avila’s mom.

“His father told me (the suspect) tried to shoot the daughter and wife also,” Chechi said.

With the ongoing investigation, police did not provide information on possible suspects but believe the shooting may have been gang-related.

While Avila had a prior history with gang activity, Arambula said he had not been involved in gangs for several years, adding that he had turned a new page and was focused on his family and health.

It appears Avila was suffering from heart and kidney failure that required him to undergo weekly dialysis.

Anyone with information or cell phone video of the incident has been asked to call the Unified Police Department at 801-840-4000.