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SALT LAKE CITY — Two people were killed and six others were injured in a shooting in a parking lot behind an LDS church as mourners attended a memorial service inside on Wednesday night, Salt Lake City police said. The shooting happened in the back parking area of the church, where people had gathered for a funeral service, police said.
Police said all of the victims were adults, and they said at least three of the injured were in critical condition. Authorities said no suspect was in custody as of Wednesday, and investigators were still working to identify a shooter.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said police did not believe the attack was aimed at a particular faith and said investigators also did not believe the shooting was random. “We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,” Redd said.
The church where the shooting occurred is a red brick congregation in northwest Salt Lake City, and it mostly serves Tongan congregants, according to information on the church’s website. When gunshots were heard, residents from a nearby low-income housing complex adjacent to the church rushed outside, according to residents who described the scene.
One resident, Brennan McIntire, said he and his wife were at home watching television when they heard several loud gunshots coming from near the church’s parking lot. He said he ran outside and saw first responders working on someone on the ground while other people cried and argued nearby. His wife, Kenna McIntire, said she saw first responders lifting an unconscious woman into an ambulance and described the moment as heartbreaking.
In the aftermath, about 100 law enforcement vehicles were on scene and helicopters flew overhead as neighbors gathered and waited for updates. Police said they were reviewing license plate readers and surveillance videos from nearby businesses as part of their search for a suspect, while the community kept watch near the scene.
Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the shooting should never have happened outside a place of worship. “This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life,” she said.
The church said it was cooperating with law enforcement. “We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind,” church spokesperson Sam Penrod said.
The attack comes as houses of worship for Latter-day Saints have faced increased concern in recent months following other deadly incidents. The faith and public safety officials have been on heightened alert since four people were killed in a Michigan church in September, an attack the FBI said was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against Latter-day Saints.