Tongans are among the victims of a shooting at a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, according to local media reports.
Two people have been confirmed dead. Three others are in critical condition, while three additional victims are listed as being in unknown condition after they were transported to medical facilities by private parties, police reportedly said.
Salt Lake City police spokesperson Glen Mills told media emergency services responded to reports of gunfire at the meetinghouse, with officers and medical teams arriving to find multiple victims.
Police Chief Brian Redd reportedly confirmed that all of the victims are adults and said investigators do not believe the incident was random.
He added that the suspect remains at large and that a significant police operation is underway to locate the individual involved.
A livestream shared on Facebook by a Tongan man at the scene, seen by Kaniva News indicated the victims may have been attending a funeral when the shooting occurred.
The meetinghouse where the shooting occurred serves two Tongan wards, according to the church’s website, as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune. Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, chief executive of Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR), told the outlet the incident has sent shockwaves through Utah’s Pacific Islander community.
She said her phone had been flooded with messages following the shooting and confirmed that she knows several of those injured, although their conditions were not immediately known.
Feltch-Malohifo’ou said many members of the Pacific Islander and Latter-day Saint communities were attending a memorial service when the shooting occurred outside the church, which primarily serves Tongan congregants.
“Condolences to the family. This is a tragedy in our community,” she said, adding that while PIK2AR has been actively working on violence prevention in Polynesian communities, including gang prevention, it was too early to determine whether that was a factor in the incident. “Violence is never the answer.”
