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Salt Lake shooting on cam: Surveillance footage captures gunshots; 2 killed
The incident took place on Wednesday in the parking lot outside a chapel belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Surveillance camera captured multiple gunshots during the shooting incident outside a church in Utah's Salt Lake City on Wednesday, an incident in which two people died and eight were injured.
The shooting happened during a confrontation outside a funeral service, prompting authorities to begin a search for the suspects involved.
The incident took place on Wednesday in the parking lot outside a chapel belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Reuters reported.
Shooting caught on cam
“Out in the parking lot, there was some sort of altercation and that's when shots were fired,” police spokesperson Glen Mills told Reuters. He confirmed that a funeral was under way inside the church at the time.
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Officers said at least eight adults were shot during the incident.
Two dead, several victims in critical condition
Police confirmed that two of the victims later died from their injuries. Three others were reported to be in critical condition, while the condition of the remaining injured people had not yet been established.
Police said a manhunt had been launched to find those responsible. Investigators are also seeking to question witnesses, including dozens of people who attended the funeral. The FBI said it was assisting local police with the investigation.
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“We don't believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,” a police officer said during a later live television press conference.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often known as the Mormon church, is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the 19th-century prophecies of Joseph Smith.
In a statement, the church said it was cooperating fully with law enforcement following the serious incident outside one of its meeting houses while a memorial service was taking place.
“We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind,” the statement said.
The shooting is the latest in a series of mass gun violence incidents across the United States. The Gun Violence Archive recorded more than 400 mass shootings last year, defining such incidents as those in which at least four people were shot, excluding the shooter.
(With Reuters inputs)
