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SALT LAKE CITY — A supervisor was charged Friday with shooting at one of his employees and shooting three of the tires on the employee's vehicle.
Esekielu A. Tuigamala, 45, of West Valley City, is charged in 3rd District Court with four counts of discharge of a firearm, a second-degree felony and three third-degree felonies; aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor; and unlawful discharge of a firearm, a class B misdemeanor.
On Monday, a man was attending a work meeting with Tuigamala at RLS Logistics, 3190 W. Professional Circle, when the two men got into an argument, according to charging documents. Police described Tuigamala as "the victim's direct supervisor at work."
Related:
Angry supervisor shoots employee at Salt Lake business, police say
Salt Lake police arrested a man after they say he shot one of his employees in the leg and also shot out the tires on the employee's vehicle.Tuigamala then walked out of the building, retrieved a gun from his vehicle, fired a round into the air and then shot three of the tires on the other man's vehicle, the charges state. When the man walked out of the building to confront Tuigamala, police say the supervisor fired a shot at him which grazed his calf.
The victim ran back into the building but was unable to lock the door.
"Tuigalama entered the building, pointed the firearm at (the man) and attempted to fire another round, but the firearm malfunctioned and Tuigalama was no longer able to fire any rounds," the charging documents state.
The victim then hid in the building while police say Tuigalama got into his car and drove away.
Salt Lake police reviewed surveillance video that captured the shooting. Officers then called Tuigalama, who agreed to meet with them and he was subsequently arrested. When questioned by detectives, Tuigalama admitted that he "wanted to get" the other man, according to the charges.
"We are going to hold each and every violent offender accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Gun crimes in Salt Lake County will not be tolerated." Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill said in a statement following the filing of the charges. "As we have been saying for months now, if you commit a violent crime with a firearm, you can expect the full force of the law."
