Man, 19, arrested in fight that left 16-year-old boy stabbed to death in Herriman
May 30, 2024, 3:59 PM | Updated: 5:35 pm
HERRIMAN — One man has been arrested in a violent confrontation in Herriman that resulted in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy on Wednesday.
Keith Tyree McClendon, 19, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault resulting in serious injury.
Police say he “hunted down and attacked” a 17-year-old boy. But it was a 16-year-old boy who was with McClendon who was killed.
“These are decisions that are made by people who are maybe not in the right frame of mind; they’re probably a little bit immature, but they have lifelong consequences,” said Cody Stromberg, Chief Deputy for the Herriman Police Department.
And now we have multiple people and multiple families whose lives that are changed forever by the decision that were made yesterday
Just before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Herriman police were called to a report of a 16-year-old boy who had been stabbed in the chest. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The deceased teen, identified only by his initials, N.L., was with McClendon and two others. McClendon was looking for a 17-year-old boy with the intent of assaulting him, according to a police booking affidavit.
“Keith also admitted to bringing brass knuckles to use against (the boy), which were later located,” the affidavit states.
Teen stabbed and killed during fight in Herriman, police say
According to a statement from Herriman police released Thursday, McClendon’s group went to the Valley High School graduation ceremony happening nearby at the Zions Bank Stadium to confront the 17-year-old and an 18-year-old woman.
“They have a long-standing history with each other. There are documented confrontations of a similar nature going back at least a year between these two groups of individuals,” said Stromberg. “What exactly they’re fighting about? We don’t know at this point.”
McClendon and his group spotted the 17-year-old in a Herriman neighborhood near Solo Street (14990 South and 3600 West). The teen was in a car with the 18-year-old woman, according to police. McClendon approached the car and began attacking the teen “by striking him with the brass knuckles,” the affidavit states. The 17-year-old boy “was struck multiple times in the face, head and body.” The teen also sustained a “knife wound to his face,” police stated, while the woman had an undisclosed injury to her hand.
Police say the attack was so serious that the two other boys, McClendon and N.L., left.
At some point during the assault, however, N.L. was stabbed and died, police say.
Based on information collected from witnesses at the scene, police went to a Riverton residence.
“Due to the nature of this incident and the history of the persons believed to have been involved, including weapons history, the South Valley SWAT team was called to the scene,” police stated.
The SWAT team surrounded the home and ordered people to come out. A 15-year-old boy and his 48-year-old mother, who were “determined to have been directly involved in the incident,” were detained, according to police. Two others — the 17-year-old boy and 18-year-old woman who were allegedly involved in the fight — were taken by family members to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
Police say the investigation is still ongoing as of Thursday and officers are working with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office to determine what charges might be filed and against how many people.
Contributing: Alex Cabrero, KSL TV
