One of the men who was killed during an exchange of gunfire in a parking lot of a The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Salt Lake City was a husband, father and poet who had chosen to reject violence, a local Tongan leader said.
Thirty-eight-year-old Sione Vatuvei, a resident of the Glendale area of Salt Lake City, was one of the two men who died during the incident at 660 N. Redwood Road, while a celebration of life was being held inside the building.
The other victim was 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo.
Vatuvei was a reformed federal inmate who married four years ago, had a 3-year-old son and was part of a men’s support group dedicated to Pacific Islander virtues, said Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou.
“He was on the right path. He was exactly the example that you can turn your life around and find redemption for your mistakes,” said Feltch-Malohifo’ou, development and community engagement officer for Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources, or PIK2AR.
“Our values are God, community and family. This is not our culture. We are our ancestors’ greatest dream,” she said. “Now let’s act like it. Our ancestors didn’t bring us to these shores to kill each other. They brought us here to thrive and strive and have better lives, but also to keep our culture intact with God, family and community.”
Feltch-Malohifo’ou is traveling and was not at Wednesday night’s memorial, but she said she had spoken with the facilitator of the men’s group, who was there and spoke with Vatuvei before the shooting.
The men’s group is called KAVA Talks, which stands for Knowledge Above Violence Always. On Instagram, Vatuvei had called the group “a place for real discussions about mental health to your own spiritual well being and a place of Peace.”
He encouraged people in the same message to “stay active and give back to the community” and to “stay blessed.”
In November, Vatuvei said in a Facebook post that he had shared his most vulnerable moments with the men of the Taylorsville 5th Ward Elders Quorum, who gave him a blessing.
“These demons are real,” he wrote in the post, “but God is Almighty … I love our church and we will continue to grow and live in the Lord’s hands. The lesson of the day was when Jesus healed the blind and gave him sight and clarity. Today I see, and the elders quorum blessed me.”
Feltch-Malohifo’ou said the deaths of Vatuvei and Tulikihihifo were devastating and called for government agencies and schools to work more closely with the Pacific Islander community.
“Include the community,” she said, “so you have the experts on the community and the culture. Bring your resources and let us lead.”
In the meantime, she said the Tongan community in Salt Lake City will do what it can to unpack the tragedy and try to process the losses. “We always say, ‘If you don’t like it, do something about it,” she said. “There is no place for violence.”
Sharon Ewer made a video in October as part of a series of messages for women about miracles. She turned over her forum to Vatuvei for a day. He talked about making the decision to choose faith while in prison and to move out of his old neighborhood afterward. “Change the scenery and you’ll slowly start to change the picture of the outcome of your life,” he said.
On the morning of his death, he posted a meme with a quote from Plato: “The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
Investigation remains underway
Police did not have any suspects in custody related to the shooting as of Thursday night.
As police continued their investigation and look for suspects, Salt Lake City police Chief Brian Redd said in a press conference Thursday morning that it is likely there was more than one person involved in the shooting.
He added that people who 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. 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.
In situations like this, Redd said, there is always a fear of 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.”
To share any information regarding Wednesday’s shooting, the SLCPD’s non-emergency line can be reached at 801-799-3000.