Two people were killed and six were wounded Wednesday night when gunfire erupted outside a Latter-day Saint chapel in Salt Lake City.
Police were called at about 7:30 p.m. to the Rose Park 5th Ward meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 660 N. Redwood Road. The Riverside 2nd Ward also worships at the building. The church identifies both as Tongan wards, or congregations.
The shooting, which initially came in as an active shooter call, drew a major police response. Authorities have said they believe the shooting, which occurred during a memorial service, was not a targeted attack on a faith and was also not random.
Salt Lake Police Chief Brian Redd said early Thursday authorities do not believe there is any threat to the general public.
Here’s what we know the morning after:
Arrests
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd gives an update on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, to the previous night’s shooting at a Latter-day- Saint meetinghouse in the Jordan Meadows neighborhood.
Police had not made any arrests or announced any suspects in the shooting as of Thursday afternoon. The department issued a plea for any members of the public with information to come forward.
Police said there had been an exchange of gunfire in the meetinghouse parking lot, stemming from a dispute between individuals attending a memorial service inside.
The Police Department’s gang unit was deployed to the scene, and Redd said Thursday there were indications individuals at the scene were “potentially involved in gang activity.”
“But we don’t know the cause of the violence. That’s what we’re investigating,” the chief said. “So we’re cautious to say this is a gang-related shooting.”
Investigators also believe there was more than one shooter.
On Wednesday night, the Salt Lake City Police Department said it had obtained “solid leads” and that investigators were checking nearby surveillance video and license plate readers.
[Read more • LDS bishop shares what he experienced when gunfire rang out at his congregation’s SLC meetinghouse.]
As of Thursday afternoon, authorities said they were still looking for more than one vehicle that left the scene, though they do not believe suspects have fled the state.
Victims
Police have identified the two men who died as 38-year-old Sione Vatuvei and 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo.
Authorities said Thursday morning that five other victims were still being treated, while one had been released.
On Wednesday night, a police spokesperson said three were in critical condition, while the condition of the remaining three was unknown because they were taken to hospitals in private vehicles.
Officers remained at the hospital with victims still being treated, Redd said, and are continuing to try to interview them.
Some “have been less than cooperative,” he said, adding that detectives were still working “to identify all who were involved in the incident and their roles in the matter.”
The church
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the day after a shooting took place in the Jordan Meadows neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.
Police had removed crime scene tape and left the church by about 7:30 a.m. Thursday. Not long after, people began returning to the parking lot to get their cars. The Riverside 2nd Ward’s bishop was on scene.
Redd said investigators have also been in touch with Latter-day Saint officials, “and we’ll continue to do so.”
He urged anyone in the city’s faith communities to reach out to the Police Department with any pending concerns.
Marks of the shooting were scattered across the meetinghouse Thursday morning as were roughly 30 small white circles police had drawn around the parking lot in the course of their investigation.
Road closures
Though closed for several hours after the shooting, Redwood Road was reopened to traffic as of Thursday.