Two people were killed and at least six others injured in a shooting outside of a Mormon church in Salt Lake City, police said.
The gunfire erupted in the parking lot of the Rose Park 5th Ward meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where mourners had gathered for a memorial service Wednesday night, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. By the time authorities arrived on the scene, shortly after 7:30 p.m., the gunman was already gone.
Investigators said the shooter or shooters fled from the house of worship, likely traveling north on Redwood Road. No suspects have been identified as of Thursday morning.
“This should never have happened outside a place of worship,” the mayor, Erin Mendenhall, said. “This should never have happened outside a celebration of life.”
Salt Lake City police Chief Brian Redd said all off the victims were shot outside of the church. Two have since been pronounced dead. Of those wounded, three were listed in critical condition as of Thursday morning. The status of the other three people hurt in the shooting were unclear because they were taken to hospitals in private vehicles, according to Redd.
None of the victims has been identified, but Redd said they were all adults.
“We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,” Redd told reporters in wake of the deadly shooting, noting that investigators do not believe it to be a random incident either.
According to the church’s website, it primarily serves Tongan congregants and holds regular worship services in their native language.
An investigation into the matter is ongoing. Redd said investigators are combing through surveillance video from nearby businesses and looking at license plate readers on Redwood Road and 700 North. He added that several people have been detained for questioning, but none of them have been officially labeled a suspect.
With News Wire Services
