The Salt Lake County District Attorney has refiled murder charges against a man accused in the 2020 fatal shooting of Manuel Gonzales-Cortes in Millcreek.

Awad Moses Majok, 25, faces charges of murder, aggravated robbery and felony discharge of a firearm, ABC4 reported. The charges were refiled Nov. 6 after the original case was dismissed when a witness was unable to testify in person and the court declined to postpone the proceedings, according to the report.

Gonzales-Cortes was shot and killed on Oct. 18, 2020, near 635 W. 3900 South, a stretch of road within Millcreek's city limits near a car wash.

Unified Police Department officers responded to the scene that night and found Salt Lake County deputies already performing CPR on Gonzales-Cortes, according to ABC4. He was later pronounced dead from an apparent gunshot wound.

What investigators found

Witnesses told officers they were driving eastbound in the area when they saw a man in a white shirt standing over the victim, ABC4 reported. When the witnesses stopped and got out of their vehicles, the man ran to his car and fled. The witnesses saw blood coming from the victim's abdomen and called 911.

Surveillance video from nearby showed Majok and a second individual, Nogolweit Kug, following Gonzales-Cortes down the sidewalk before a struggle between the three, according to the report. The video showed two muzzle flashes, then Majok and Kug running to a waiting vehicle that drove away.

About a month later, officers stopped a stolen Ford F-150 that Majok was riding in and found a handgun that matched the weapon used in the homicide, ABC4 reported.

Charges first filed in 2023, then dismissed

Majok was first charged in the killing in 2023. KUTV reported at the time that three suspects were charged in connection with the killing. The case was dismissed after the witness difficulty, but the Salt Lake County District Attorney's office refiled the charges on Nov. 6.

The reason the witness could not testify has not been publicly disclosed.

Kug is also charged with murder, aggravated robbery and felony discharge of a firearm. He has pleaded not guilty, according to ABC4. A third defendant, Deng Mawut Buk, was charged with felony obstruction of justice and has pleaded guilty. Court proceedings for the co-defendants are ongoing.

Victim was walking to a store

Gonzales-Cortes had no gang affiliation, according to ABC4. He was walking to a store to buy beer when he was killed. Kug told police the suspects believed Gonzales-Cortes belonged to a gang, the report stated.

Court documents cited by ABC4 described the killing as a random attack on "an unsuspecting victim" during an aggravated robbery.

All charges are allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Anyone with information about violent crimes in Millcreek can contact the Unified Police Department at 385-468-9600.