SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Investigators say a shooting outside a Salt Lake City church that left two people dead and six injured began as a result of a dispute between mutual acquaintances attending a funeral. No arrests have been made in connection with Wednesday’s shooting in the parking lot of a house of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Tabernacle. Authorities said they didn’t know if the shooting was gang-related and they were having trouble getting witnesses to cooperate. Five people remained in hospital on Thursday and the facilities were under police protection.
“We are investigating the cause and effect of the shooting,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Read said Thursday morning. All of the shooting victims were adults. Police said at least three of the injured were in critical condition. Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, and Sione Vatuvei, 38, were identified as the two people killed in the shooting.
Police said they do not believe the shooting was random or motivated by hostility to faith.
The red-brick church in a northwest Salt Lake City neighborhood serves primarily Tongans and holds regular worship services in their native language, according to its website.
After hearing the gunshots, residents of a low-income housing complex next to the church rushed outside to help the victims and comfort dozens of people attending the funeral of a man who police had not yet identified.
Brennan McIntyre said he and his wife, Kenna, were watching television when they heard several loud gunshots coming from an apartment next to the church parking lot. He jumped off the couch and ran outside in his flip-flops to see what was going on.
“As soon as I came over, I saw someone on the ground,” he said. “People were looking after him, crying and arguing.”
Kenna McIntyre was soon outside and was disturbed to see first responders loading an unconscious woman into an ambulance while people huddled together crying.
The couple said they heard gunshots in the neighborhood almost every day, but never outside their door.
“It was really heartbreaking to hear and see,” she said.
After the incident, about 100 law enforcement vehicles rushed to the scene, and helicopters hovered overhead. Neighbors huddled around a taco truck wrapped in blankets, watching police work and waiting for the latest news.
Police said they were checking license plate readers and surveillance video from nearby businesses to look for the suspect.
“This should not happen outside of a place of worship. This should not happen outside of a celebration of life,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said.
The church, which is based in Salt Lake City, is cooperating with law enforcement and said it was grateful for the quick efforts of first responders.
Church spokesman Sam Penrod said: “We pray for all those affected by this tragedy and are deeply concerned that any sacred space used for worship is subject to any form of violence.”
About half of Utah’s 3.5 million residents are members of the faith. Houses of worship like the one where the shooting occurred are common in communities across the city and state.
The faith has been on high alert after a former Marine opened fire at a Michigan church in September, killing four people. The FBI found that he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against Latter-day Saints. ____ This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Vaea Tulikihihifo’s last name, which was previously misspelled by Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd.
