Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd confirmed in a press conference on Thursday morning that two Utah residents, 38-year-old Sione Vatuvei and 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo, were killed in a shooting that took place outside a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wednesday evening.
As police continued their investigation and look for the shooters, Redd said it is likely there is more than one suspect, though no one is in custody. He added that people they’ve spoken to who were involved in the incident Wednesday night have been “less than cooperative” and that it was a ”very complicated crime scene."
“Our focus now is bringing all those involved to justice, and we will do that, and our detectives are working overtime to resolve these issues,” he said.
Multiple vehicles left the scene soon after the shooting, according to police accounts, but no descriptions are yet public.
The shooting occurred in the parking lot of the church, located at 660 N. Redwood Road, while a celebration of life was being held within the building. Police were called to the scene shortly after 7:30 p.m.
The SLCPD Gang Unit was also at the scene Wednesday night.
“There is (an) indication that there were individuals at the scene that were potentially involved in gang activity,” Redd said. But, “we don’t know the cause for the violence, and so that’s what we’re investigating. So we’re cautious to say this is a gang-related shooting, because we are still investigating the cause of the shooting.”
The SLCPD could not confirm whether the people involved in the shooting were connected to the memorial service inside the church, but Redd did say that the dispute in the parking lot was between people who knew each other.
Six more adults were taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries; one person has since been released. There is an added police presence at the hospital where the injured are being treated. Redd did not confirm whether those receiving treatment were innocent bystanders or involved.
He also confirmed that the shooting is not believed to be a targeted attack against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that there is no reason to believe there is an active threat to the public.
In situations like this, Redd said there is always fear for escalation and retaliation. “If there are individuals who are in fear of anything like that,” he said, “please reach out to us and let us know so that we can help. And again, we’re asking for anyone in the public or anyone that knows anything about this incident to please reach out to us and share that information with us so we can resolve this.”
While taking questions from the press on Thursday morning during a state-federal forestry event, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said he was relieved that there is no longer a threat to the public.
“Anytime there’s a loss of life, it’s tragic,” he said. “Our thoughts go out to the families. It’s a terrible thing to happen. We’ve been following closely. We received the same updates that Chief Redd shared with all of you today about the nature of the shooting and the people that were involved.”
Incidents involving multiple casualties and victims are not a common occurrence in Utah. Though gun violence does occur, in 2024, only 13% of gun-related deaths in Utah were connected to homicide, according to USAFacts. There are a few notable instances in Utah history — the Trolley Square shooting or the West Valley City carnival shooting — where mass casualties were taken from gun violence.
To share any information regarding Wednesday’s shooting, the SLCPD’s non-emergency line can be reached at 801-799-3000.
