By Shannon Gibbs

September 24, 2007 | HYRUM -- Drive-by-shooting. . . . These words inspire thoughts of fear and anxiety. They are also associated with cities such as New York or L.A. and gang-related activity.

However, residents in the small, rural community of Hyrum got a taste of the emotions and apprehension associated with a drive-by-shooting last week.

At about 7:30 a.m. Sept 18, a green Mercedes approached a home in a mobile home park just south of South Cache 8-9th Grade Center, where the victim was loading tools into his truck outside his brother’s house. Shots rang out and the man dived behind his truck but still caught a bullet in the leg. At first it was not clear how many bullets were fired, but there were at least five. Two shots hit the victim’s GMC truck, shattering a headlight and flattening the back passenger side tire. Two more shots hit a parked minivan nearby and then another hit the victim’s leg.

Shortly afterward, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office issued an ATL (attempt to locate) throughout local agencies and Box Elder County, on the green Mercedes. It found located within minutes of the ATL being broadcast. The Brigham City police did a felony stop on a green Mercedes and arrested two men and two women, ranging in age from 18-26, after finding a gun in the car.

Arellano Eduardo Amador, a passenger, was charged with attempted aggravated murder (a first-degree felony,) and discharge of a firearm from a vehicle (third-degree felony.)

Andrew D. Pham, the driver of the vehicle, was charged with attempted murder (second degree felony) and discharge of a fire arm from a vehicle (third-degree felony.)

Mina Siyavong and Nicole Marie Pagan were both charged with attempted murder (second-degree felonies.)

There are still charges pending for these individuals, but investigators do not believe the shooting was gang related. Instead, they believe the motive is retaliation; according to the sheriff’s office, the victim is alleged to have gotten a friend of the suspects in trouble.

Because the shots were fired so close to the South Cache 8th-9th Grade Center, the school went into lock down. Some students were still on there way to school when the actual shooting occurred. One day after the shooting, several students weren’t even aware that this was anything other then a drill, and others were scared because of events in the last couple of years at the school and in Cache County itself.

This is the fifth crime shooting in the last 10 years, and some residents of Hyrum don’t believe it will be the last. Several who were asked about how they felt about the drive by shooting said variations of, “It’s been coming on for some time.” They pointed to a rise over the last few years in drug and criminal offenses.

The victim, having been rushed to the hospital after the shooting and staying about 24 hours, was then released around noon Wednesday and is home now. He was unavailable for comment, but his family expressed their happiness to have him home.

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