A tragic new detail has emerged in the fatal shooting that claimed the lives of two Tongans and injured six others outside a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, deepening shock and grief within the Tongan community.
All the shooting victims were adults. Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, and Sione Vatuvei, 38, were identified as the two people killed.
Salt Lake City media claimed Tulikihihifo was not involved in the confrontation that preceded the gunfire.
According to his family, he had briefly stepped outside the church during a memorial service to retrieve baby formula from his car for his five-month-old son.
Tulikihihifo left the meetinghouse with the car keys in hand — and never returned.
Seconds later, multiple gunshots rang out in the church parking lot.
Tulikihihifo was struck and collapsed outside. Family members say they do not know whether he ever reached the vehicle before he was fatally wounded.
Vatuvei was also killed in the shooting. Six other people sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospital, with varying degrees of severity.
Reports circulating on social media, including livestream videos from the funeral service, seen by Kaniva News, during which the shooting occurred outside, show Vatuvei speaking.
Some commenters have alleged that the footage captures a speech he delivered shortly before he was fatally shot.
Vatuvei was reportedly described by those who knew him as someone who had recently embarked on a new path, seeking to turn his life away from gang involvement.
The shooting occurred while many members of the Tongan and wider Pacific Islander community were gathered inside the meetinghouse to attend a memorial service, heightening the trauma of the event.
Tulikihihifo, originally from Los Angeles, was described by his family as a devoted husband and father who loved his faith, his community, and sports teams from his hometown. Loved ones said his final act — stepping out to care for his child — reflected the kind of man he was.
The incident has sent shockwaves through Tongan communities in Utah and abroad, with calls for justice, healing, and greater attention to community safety. Police say the investigation remains ongoing as they continue searching for the suspect.
What was first reported as a violent confrontation has now taken on a more devastating dimension — the loss of a father whose final moments were spent responding to the needs of his child, not engaging in violence.
