- Three people, including an 8-month-old baby, were killed in a West Valley shooting.
- A 16-year-old suspect was arrested after allegedly firing during a WestFest altercation.
- Police are investigating the incident, seeking witnesses.
WEST VALLEY CITY — Three people were killed late Sunday in a shooting after a dispute between two groups in West Valley City. Those who died include an infant and a woman who were bystanders, police said.
The sole suspect, a 16-year-old boy, was taken into custody and was expected to be questioned overnight. His name has not yet been released.
It happened at Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South, during the final day of WestFest, the annual event to commemorate the establishment of West Valley City.
About 9:20 p.m., officers who were working at WestFest saw two groups of people "who seemed to be having some sort of a verbal altercation," West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said.
Officers approached the group to break up the fight and "calm things down," she said. As they approached, they saw a male from one of the groups "pull out a gun and start firing it toward the other group," she said.
One officer returned fire toward the suspect but did not hit him. They did, however, take the suspect "very quickly" into custody, Vainuku said.
She said police do not know at this point if the fight was gang-related.
Five people were shot by the suspect, Vainuku said.
- A 41-year-old woman and 8-month-old infant unconnected to the groups that were fighting were both taken with injuries to a hospital, where they died.
- An 18-year-old believed to be part of the fight died at the scene.
- Two teenagers suffered gunshot wounds to their arms. It's unclear if they were connected to the original fight.
A pregnant woman was hurt trying to climb a fence when the shooting happened, Vainuku said. She did not disclose the extent of the woman's injuries.
Detectives are working through interviewing witnesses. Many people saw what happened but left in the chaos and are asked to contact the police department, 801-840-4000.
Officers from across the valley responded to the shooting to aid with crowd dispersal and other logistical issues.
A festivalgoer, Omar Ortiz, told KSL-TV he heard several gunshots and initially could not find his girlfriend and his daughter, who had separated from him at the festival while he went to get food. Eventually he found them, but he described the situation as terrifying, as everyone started running after the gunshots rang out.
The shooting marks the second at a large public event in two days in Utah. On Saturday, Utah resident Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, died Saturday after he was shot during a large "No Kings" protest in downtown Salt Lake City. Ah Loo was also a bystander.
