ST. GEORGE — Two teens have been charged with attempted murder and aggravated robbery following an investigation that began with a report of gunshots in the Bloomington Hills area in January.
Two 19-year-old suspects, Lars Randal Albertsen and Gavin David Williams, were charged Thursday with attempted murder, aggravated robbery and criminal mischief — each a first-degree felony.
Additionally, Albertsen faces a first-degree felony charge of criminal conspiracy, while Williams faces a second-degree felony for the same offense, along with a charge of tampering with a witness — a second-degree felony. Both face illegal firearms charges as well.
The incident that led to the charges was reported the night of Jan. 23 when the St. George Communication Center received a 911 call from a citizen who reported gunshots in the area of Red Tree Circle in Bloomington Hills. When officers responded, they recovered bullet casings and other evidence supporting the caller’s statements, but the suspects were nowhere to be seen.
While at the scene on Red Tree Circle, officers were alerted that an individual with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound had arrived at the emergency department of St. George Regional Hospital. The department requested help from the public in identifying those responsible, as reported by St. George News in January.
Court records revealed the victim arrived at the emergency department with six gunshot wounds to his right arm.
Officers continued to process the scene and found 11 bullet holes in the vehicle the injured man was driving, and using trajectory rods, they determined the bullets were fired in the direction of the driver’s seat. Investigators found a total of 17 9-mm shell casings scattered across the roadway and jars of suspected marijuana.
Detectives identified a total of eight suspects involved in the incident — two of whom remained in the suspect’s vehicle — while in a group the remaining six approached the injured man’s car.
Investigators learned the shooting resulted from a botched robbery, which authorities allege was facilitated by both Albertsen and Williams, both of whom assisted in the planning of the incident, and were two of the suspects who fired at the victim’s vehicle as it sped away. Investigators allege it was Williams who provided the guns to the others the night of the incident, based on interviews and evidence recovered during the investigation.
Officers learned that Albertsen reportedly sent the victim photographs of U.S. currency as proof he had the money to purchase the marijuana, when in fact, the suspect “never had any intention [of] actually purchasing it,” the officer noted.
Investigators further allege that Williams threatened the others if they said anything about what had taken place “about their life,” the report states, and obtained evidence during a number of recorded phone calls from the jail where Williams has remained since his arrest on an unrelated incident reported on Feb. 24.
When investigators attempted to question Williams at the jail about the January incident, the report states he declined to answer any questions.
Meanwhile, Albertsen was arrested in St. George early Monday morning after an officer found him sitting in a vehicle at the overlook on South Tech Ridge Drive. During a search of the suspect, the officer recovered a handgun from the waistband of the suspect’s pants, which a records check revealed was reported as stolen.
They then discovered Albertsen was a suspect in the incident reported in January that left the man injured. He was arrested following a brief struggle with police and was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing two second-degree felony firearm charges, as well as misdemeanor possession of marijuana and paraphernalia and interfering with arrest offenses.
When officers attempted to conduct an interview with the suspect following the arrest, Albertsen declined to answer any questions. Charges were filed in connection with the shooting in January and he made an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Friday. He remains in jail without bail.
A no-bail hold was also placed on Williams, who has been in custody in Washington County since his arrest following an armed robbery reported Feb. 24, on Turkey Farm Road Washington County. He was scheduled to make an initial appearance on the attempted murder and other charges on Thursday, but the proceeding was continued after the suspect refused to appear from the jail.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
St. George News reporter Jessie Bang contributed to this report.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.