Police officers on duty at the annual WestFest carnival in West Valley City, Utah — which is about 20 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City — noticed two groups of people arguing around 9:20 p.m. Sunday, police said.
As officers approached the groups to break things up, police said a 16-year-old male from one of the groups pulled a gun and opened fire.
‘I don’t even know how to explain this night.’
Police said the following victims were fatally shot: 18-year-old Hassan Lugundi of West Valley City — a male from one of the arguing groups; 41-year-old Fnu Reena — a female bystander from West Jordan; and an 8-month-old boy whose name authorities won’t release.
According to KSTU-TV, the 41-year-old female victim and the infant victim were not connected to each other.
Police said gunfire struck two teens — a 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old male — in their arms. Police added that it’s not clear if the two wounded teens were connected to the arguing groups.
The 16-year-old male suspect was taken into custody, police said, adding that an officer fired but didn’t hit the suspect. Police also said the suspect was taken to the police station for questioning.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill told KSTU it’s too early to determine if the teen suspect will be charged as a juvenile or as an adult.
“We have not yet screened the case. Whether a case is filed in a juvenile or district court is a decision that is made at time of filing,” Gill said in a statement, according to KSTU. “It would be premature for us to talk about these matters at this time.”
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Sunday was the final day of the four-day event, which took place at Centennial Park and featured “food, fun, and festivities” such as music and carnival rides.
A shocked employee of a business located next to the park told Blaze News on Monday afternoon that he feels “bad for what happened” and added that it was completely out of the ordinary for the area.
“I’d definitely say it was a one-off,” the worker noted to Blaze News before acknowledging the “dark” nature of the crime.
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A pregnant woman also was injured while trying to climb a fence to flee the scene, KUTV-TV reported.
Roxeanne Vainuku — public information officer for West Valley City police — told KUTV that “it’s heartbreaking, I think for all of us, to see something like this happen at something that is just a real treasure, something that we really enjoy in our community.”
Vainuku added to the station that it’s not clear if the shooting was gang-related. KUTV also said police won’t release the name of the suspect since he’s a juvenile.
“I don’t even know how to explain this night,” one witness told KSTU. “I am traumatized. I don’t think I would ever go to a fair, especially if they’re not checking the people that walk in.”
Another witness added to KSTU: “I was very scared because I’m not used to hearing gunshots, and I almost had a panic attack because that was scary.”
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