Two dead, six injured in shooting outside Salt Lake City church

A shooting outside a Salt Lake City church on the evening of January 7 left two people dead and six others injured, according to US media citing the Salt Lake City Police Department.

The violence unfolded outside the Rose Park 5th Ward meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 660 N. Redwood Road, where a memorial service had been taking place. The building is also used by the Riverside 2nd Ward. Police received the first emergency call at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Glen Mills said that of the six injured adults, three were in critical condition. The medical status of the other three individuals was not immediately known, as they had been taken to hospitals in private vehicles.

Police Chief Brian Redd said all eight victims were shot outside the church. He stated that investigators do not believe the attack was directed at the religious institution itself, nor do they consider it a random act. According to Redd, the shooter or shooters fled north on Redwood Road, and no arrests had been made as of late Wednesday night.

Officers continued to review surveillance footage from nearby businesses as well as data from license plate readers positioned along Redwood Road and 700 North. Several people were detained for questioning, Redd said, but none had been identified as a suspect. Detectives were still interviewing witnesses into the night.

“We are following all leads,” Redd said, emphasising that the department would continue working until those responsible are found.

Utah has a sizable Pacific Islander community overall, with roughly 60,000 residents — about 1.6% of the state’s population — identified in 2020 U.S. Census data. Tongans represent the largest subgroup, making up 39% of Pacific Islanders in the state. In Salt Lake County, Pacific Islanders account for about 2.4% of the population.

By late Wednesday night, roughly two dozen people had gathered behind the meetinghouse in the parking lot of a nearby McDonald’s, standing behind police tape as they waited for updates on the situation.

By Tamilla Hasanova