Teen arrested for shooting, paralyzing one, almost hitting a sleeping 3-year-old

WEST VALLEY CITY — A shootout between three teens left one teenager paralyzed while a stray bullet almost hit a sleeping 3-year-old early Saturday morning.

Nadiel Alexander Arroyo, 18, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on third-degree felony discharge of a firearm, according to a police affidavit.

West Valley City police said they responded to a shooting and crash on 2833 S. 2700 West involving multiple teenagers and Arroyo.

After his arrest, Arroyo told investigators that he arrived from Florida on Friday evening and went to a party at “black candy.”

According to the affidavit, during the party, a woman who was with Arroyo’s group was “jumped, and they were going outside to help/see what happened.”

Arroyo told police exited the club and could not see what was happening due to the crowd. He said he tried to get back inside the club, but the bouncer would not let him.

According to the affidavit, someone from Arroyo’s group told him they were leaving and to get into a blue car. Arroyo said he noticed a red car quickly approaching them after they left the parking lot.

Arroyo told police, “They were stopped at a traffic light when the red car turned and blocked their car, exposing their passenger door… the window rolled down, and a male pointed a gun at him and the occupants in the blue vehicle.”

According to the affidavit, the driver of the blue car attempted to drive away as the red car flipped around. As the red vehicle tried to follow them, it crashed into a light pole on the opposite side of the road. Arroyo said that two teenage boys exited the red car and began shooting at the blue car he was in.

“(Arroyo) stated he grabbed a gun that was lying on the floorboard next to him, pointed it out the window to the sky, and fired 2-3 shots to deter the other males from shooting,” the affidavit stated.

Police said one of the bullets that Arroyo fired stuck a teenage boy from the red car, leaving him paralyzed. According to the affidavit, police are unsure if the paralyzed teen was one of the two teenagers who shot at the blue car, as all the teenagers refused to speak to police.

Taylorsville police located the blue passenger car, which was occupied by one adult and several juveniles. A gun was located inside the car. The juveniles were detained, and the adult in the vehicle was arrested. Nadiel Arroyo 8/4/05  was booked for discharging a firearm 3/3

— WVC Police (@WVCPD) October 16, 2023

During the investigation, police determined that one of Arroyo’s bullets struck through a family’s home, passing through the headboard of a sleeping woman, a man, and their 3-year-old girl.

According to the affidavit, the bullet entered the headboard about a foot above their heads. West Valley City police said all of the people involved in this shooting were juveniles besides Arroyo.