Two die in shooting in Salt Lake City church parking lot, several injured

By Kanishka Singh

Jan 7 (Reuters) – Two people were killed and several injured in a shooting during an altercation outside a funeral at a church in the Utah capital of Salt Lake City, police said on Wednesday, as they launched a manhunt for suspects.

The latest mass shooting in the United States follows more than 400 last year, according to a tally by the Gun Violence Archive of incidents involving “a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed”, excluding shooters killed or injured.

The situation was still fluid after Wednesday’s initial report of the incident in the parking lot outside a chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a police spokesperson said.

“Out in the parking lot, there was some sort of altercation and that’s when shots were fired,” Glen Mills told reporters, adding that a funeral service was being held in the church at the time.

Among at least eight adult victims, two died of their injuries, the police said, while three of the survivors were critical and the medical condition of the rest was not known.

Police said they launched a manhunt for the supects and aimed to interview witnesses among the dozens of people who attended the funeral. The FBI said it was offering assistance.

“We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,” a police officer told a later press conference on live television.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the Mormon church, follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and the 19th-century prophecies of Joseph Smith.

In a statement, it said it was cooperating with law enforcement after a serious incident outside a church meeting-house as a memorial service was being held in the chapel.

“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,” it added.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Clarence Fernandez)