A shooting outside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Salt Lake City on Wednesday killed two people and injured six others, and at least one suspect was at large, the police said.
Dozens of people were attending a funeral service inside the meetinghouse at the time of the shooting on Wednesday evening, the authorities said.
Brian Redd, the chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department, told reporters that the shooting appeared to have started after an altercation in the building’s parking lot. “We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion,” he said.
Chief Redd said at least one suspect had fled the scene. He said it was too early to comment on potential motives, and that officers were pursuing a number of leads and checking surveillance footage from security cameras in the area.
Three of the people who were injured in the shooting were in critical condition, the police said, adding that the condition of the other three was not known.
Police vehicles were parked in a cordoned-off area around the building on Wednesday night. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said on social media that it was cooperating with law enforcement.
Glen Mills, the police spokesman, said at a news conference that a suspect’s vehicle was last seen driving north on aroad next to the church, prompting the police to establish a search area stretching several blocks.
He later told reporters that the police had a grainy image of a suspect getting into the vehicle before driving away.
Chief Redd said some people had been detained in connection with the investigation, but he did not share more details.
John Yoon is a Times reporter based in Seoul who covers breaking and trending news.
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