Teen charged for allegedly shooting and killing man during burglary

WASHINGTON, Washington County — A teenager is accused of fatally shooting a man while burglarizing the victim’s apartment and fleeing the scene on Sunday.

Simeon Gail Calnimptewa, 17, was charged with felony aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, discharging a firearm resulting in serious bodily injury, aggravated assault, possessing a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, and possessing a dangerous weapon by a minor, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

Documents state that a woman and Bransen Bryels-Nechanicky returned to their apartment at approximately 1:45 a.m. and found a man, later identified as Calnimptewa, burglarizing their place.

“(The woman) states that upon entering the residence, they observed several of their belongings to be in a pile in the living room which had not been there previously when they left,” the court document stated.

The woman told police that Calnimptewa, wearing a dark-colored hoodie and a ski mask, exited one of their bedrooms. She said Nechanicky confronted Calnimptewa, who pointed a firearm at them. According to court documents, Nechanicky charged at Calnimptewa, and the two physically fought in the apartment. During the fight, the woman said Calnimptewa shot his firearm three times, striking Nechanicky.

The woman told police that Calnimptewa pointed the firearm at her, commanding her to open the door, which she did. She said Calnimptewa grabbed a jar of money sitting on the counter and fled on foot.

When police arrived at the apartment, officers reported that Nechanicky had multiple gunshot wounds. Documents stated that first responders attempted to save him, but Nechanicky died from his injuries. According to court documents, police began to search for Calnimptewa and asked residents for security footage to locate him.

Officers reported finding footage of Calnimptewa leaving the area in a hoodie and baggy pants going up and down the stairs of the victim’s apartment before and after the shooting.

“In the video, this male is first observed with a facial covering. However, following the reported shooting, is observed to leave the area without a mask on and with the reported jar of money,” documents state.

According to the documents, officers recognized Calnimptewa’s face as they had prior encounters with him and knew he lived in the same apartment complex. Officers reportedly went to Calnimptewa’s apartment and spoke to his family, who let them inside to talk to him. Police found Calnimptewa in the apartment asleep, and he was taken into custody without issue.

Documents state that police interviewed Calnimptewa and his guardian. During that interview, Calnimptewa identified himself as the man seen in security footage but said he couldn’t remember what happened that night.

During the interview, the officer noticed that Calnimptewa was “continually belching,” which smelled like Calnimptewa had an “alcoholic beverage,” court documents stated.

“(Calnimptewa) would continuously deny remembering the night’s events, even when confronted with the fact that a man had been murdered and that, by his own acknowledgment, he identified himself as the person descending the stairs from the apartment immediately after the shooting,” documents state.

During the interview, officers searched Calnimptewa’s apartment and reported finding a hoodie, mask, and gloves in his bedroom. Officers reported finding blood on the clothing and noted the clothes were similar to the ones of the man seen in the security footage.

According to court documents, police found a jar of money similar to the one reported stolen, two handguns, a spent shell casing, and marijuana/THC vape cartridges.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office released a statement on Wednesday announcing that Calnimptewa was being charged as an adult and faces a prison term of 25 years to life for aggravated murder but will not face a sentence of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole due to Utah law.