Former Grand County High School student Jaydan Marshall Olsen is charged with criminal homicide, a first degree felony, in the shooting death of a 20-year-old man in West Jordan.
Grand County School District confirmed that Olsen, 22, is a former student. Grand County High School (GCHS) Principal Steve Hren said Olsen graduated in 2014.
“I knew the student. He was a highly gifted musician and participated in school events,” Hren said of Olsen.
The victim, Noe Armijo-Luna, of Midvale, was eating at Rancheritos restaurant at 7849 S. Redwood Rd. at 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 13 when he was confronted by Olsen and Olsen’s friend, 18-year-old Jonathan Hunt, of Murray, reports said.
The West Jordan Police Department said Olsen had an “ongoing dispute” with Armijo-Luna.
Police sergeant JC Holt said the dispute was over the alleged “mistreatment” of a girl and had “brewed for several months.” Armijo-Luna was a friend of the girl, he said.
During the confrontation, Hunt allegedly produced a handgun and shot Armijo-Luna. Police said the victim was transported to a local hospital by EMS personnel where he died of his injuries.
Olsen, Hunt and a 17-year-old female who reportedly drove the men to the restaurant, fled the scene and were later arrested.
Holt said the Salt Lake Area Gang Project Metro Gang Unit helped to identify the suspects and make the arrests because Hunt allegedly made gang-related statements after the shooting occurred; although the Metro Gang Unit knows Hunt to be gang-affiliated, they do not believe Olsen himself is gang-affiliated.
“When Mr. Hunt shot this guy, it was reported that he made claims he was a ‘real gangster’ in reports and he used some other expletives in there to further describe himself as being a ‘gangster,’” Holt said. “Hunt does have an affiliation with a gang, but we don’t believe the shooting was motivated by any gang activity.”
The 17-year-old female who drove the men to the restaurant to confront Armijo-Luna is reportedly the girl referenced in the dispute between Olsen and Armijo-Luna, Holt said.
GCHS graduate Kaden Risenhoover said he and Olsen competed together in middle school football and played on the same basketball in both middle and high school.
“He was a good kid, just had some rebellion in him ever since middle school,” Risenhoover said of Olsen.
Olsen was arrested at 3:34 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 14, and is being held at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail without bond, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office said. In addition to being charged with criminal homicide, he is charged with possession of a controlled substance (marijuana in an amount less than bulk).
Richard Bell, West Jordan Police Department public information officer, said that although Olsen did not shoot the victim, “(he) was arrested due to the fact that he was a party to the offense that likely would never had occurred had it not been for his involvement and participation.”
Hunt is also charged with criminal homicide, a first degree felony, as well as felonious discharge of a firearm, a second degree felony, possession of a controlled substance (marijuana in an amount less than bulk) and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The West Jordan Police Department said the two men have not been formally charged by the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, but Holt said the charges will be “forthcoming” within days.
He said detectives were meeting the district attorney’s office to “screen the case in person” on Sept. 19.
Holt wanted to clarify that the shooting was not gang-motivated.
Risenhoover said Olsen’s father, David, was the team coach in middle school. David Olsen was a Moab mayoral candidate in 2017.
Police said Jaydan Olsen was a resident of Murray. On his personal Facebook page, Olsen called Moab the “dear town” that he calls “home.” He also wrote on his Facebook page that he studied at Snow College and played soccer for the Utah State University-Eastern.
Court arraignment for both men on the charges is expected to take place after the district attorney’s office files formal charges in the case.
Jaydan Olsen, 22, jailed over shooting death of a man in West Jordan
“We don’t believe the shooting was motivated by any gang activity.”
