Sione Kauvaka shares more than just a first name with Sione Vatuvei.
Both served time in prison and came out wanting to make a difference in their community. Kauvaka runs a peer support group for Pacific Islander men that Vatuvei attended. And they both went to pay their respects to Asi Sekona at his funeral last week at a Salt Lake City church.
The 38-year-old Vatuvei died that night in a shooting in the parking lot outside the meetinghouse at 660 N. Redwood Road. Kauvaka was inside the building, which hosts two Tongan wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when the shots rang out.
On Thursday, Kauvaka led the first session of the support group since Vatuvei’s death. The group — called K.A.V.A Talks, short for Knowledge Above Violence Always — is part of a nonprofit called Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources, or PIK2AR.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Peer support specialist Sione Kauvaka speaks as he runs K.A.V.A. Talks, a peer support group with a cultural focus on Pacific Islander men, in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.
“I’m grateful to be alive,” Kauvaka said in an interview, “to be here to facilitate this group and to bring attention to what Sione was really trying to do, because I could’ve easily been outside.”
The group, Kauvaka said, helps Pacific Islander men with healing and recovery from past trauma, including incarceration. It also aids them in building community and learning about themselves.
“This is like family,” said attendee Vili Lolohea, who has been coming to the group off and on for years. “It’s a safe space to share. Everyone can relate to our past and childhood, and everyone here is creating change.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Vili Lolohea speaks during K.A.V.A. Talks, a peer support group with a cultural focus on Pacific Islander men, in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.
Thursday’s attendees spoke about grief, honoring Vatuvei, and ways to prevent a shooting like the one that killed him from happening again.
After prison, Vatuvei had started sharing more about his journey on social media, spreading positivity and encouraging his followers to give up gang ties and addictions. He also was trying to publish a book of poetry he had written.
Vatuvei and 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo were killed in the gunfire. Six others were injured.
The support group is one way Utahns are trying to care for one another in the aftermath.
Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, the chief community engagement and development officer of PIK2AR, said the organization’s peer support gathering for women had a similar conversation earlier in the week.
Aid is also flowing to the families of Vatuvei and Tulikihihifo, Feltch-Malohifo’ou said.
“There have been tons of families going, dropping off food, dropping off money, pulling together as a community,” she said. “A Tongan funeral takes a week. Those processes are starting. It’s part of our grieving process as a community and the way that we honor and respect the dead.”
Vatuvei had a son. Tulikihihifo had 12 children.
“How are we going to take care of those children and those families?” Feltch-Malohifo’ou asked. “It is very sad.”
She said anyone who wants to help can reach out to her via PIK2AR. GoFundMe sites have also been set up for the Vatuvei and Tulikihihifo families.
“It’s not just a Tongan thing,” she said. “This is a societal issue, and so we all have a part in this healing because what happens to our community affects other communities.”
As for what comes next, Feltch-Malohifo’ou said her organization would continue to help community members develop strong coping skills and boost mental health. She also encouraged Utahns to check in with one another more often and practice friendliness.
Kauvaka said attending Thursday’s meeting reminded him to keep pushing forward on anti-violence work and not to let the shooting push him off his path to recovery.
Inspired by Thursday’s discussion, Kauvaka pledged to raise his voice against negative behavior.
“Being a good example to others is sometimes not good enough,” he said. “You’re going to have to be really vocal and speak up and really express yourself.”