As manhunt is below manner, police don’t consider assault was random however neither was it prone to be assault on faith.
Revealed On 8 Jan 2026
Two individuals have been killed and a number of other injured in a taking pictures within the automobile park of a Mormon church within the Utah capital of Salt Lake Metropolis in the US.
Police stated the taking pictures occurred on Wednesday within the automobile park of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the place dozens of individuals have been attending a funeral.
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Three of the six injured victims are in crucial situation.
Police confirmed that no suspect was in custody and have launched a manhunt, with the FBI reportedly providing help.
Whereas police stated they didn’t consider the taking pictures was random, Salt Lake Metropolis Police Chief Brian Redd instructed The Related Press information company it didn’t look like a focused assault towards a faith.
Church spokesman Glen Mills instructed reporters there had been indicators of a fracas outdoors the church, the place the funeral was happening.
“Out within the parking zone, there was some form of altercation took [place] and that’s when photographs have been fired,” he stated.
About 100 legislation enforcement autos have been on the scene within the aftermath, with helicopters flying overhead.
“As quickly as I came visiting, I see somebody on the bottom… Persons are attending to him and crying and arguing,” stated Brennan McIntire, a neighborhood man who spoke to AP.
Salt Lake Metropolis Mayor Erin Mendenhall stated, “This could by no means have occurred outdoors a spot of worship. This could by no means have occurred outdoors a celebration of life.”
The church, which has headquarters in Salt Lake Metropolis, is cooperating with legislation enforcement.
About half of Utah’s 3.5 million residents are members of the religion. Church buildings just like the one the place the taking pictures occurred could be present in cities all through the town and state.
The religion has been on heightened alert since 4 individuals have been killed when a former Marine opened fireplace in a Michigan church final month and set it ablaze.
The FBI discovered that he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” towards the church.
About 82 % of mass killings within the US in 2025 concerned a firearm, based on a database maintained by AP alongside USA In the present day and Northeastern College.
The taking pictures in Salt Lake Metropolis occurred amid growing unrest within the US, after a federal officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fatally shot a girl in Minneapolis amid ongoing protests towards an immigration crackdown.
