Ghorke Gwen was 20 when he was shot in the head during a Saturday afternoon encounter in the parking lot of the Solara Apartments near 700 North and 900 West in Salt Lake City. Officers found him critically injured and he was taken to a hospital; authorities later announced on February 5, 2020 that he had died from his wounds. Investigators were told the violence stemmed from complications surrounding a drug-related meeting, an early theory recorded after witnesses were canvassed.

Detectives quickly identified a suspect. The day after the shooting, 18-year-old Esequiel David Torres was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder and aggravated robbery. Months later prosecutors charged Torres with murder and aggravated robbery, alleging the shooting unfolded amid a drug deal that turned into a robbery. Gwen’s death appears on year-end tallies of Utah homicide victims and was noted in brief remembrances as family and community absorbed the loss.

If anyone knew Ghorke Gwen, saw him at the Solara Apartments that weekend, or has information about the incident, please share what you know.