Two people killed in shooting outside Mormon church in Salt Lake City, US
Manhunt under way; police believe attack was not random nor religiously motivated.
As manhunt is under way, police do not believe attack was random but neither was it likely to be attack on religion.
By News Agencies
Published On 8 Jan 2026
Two people have been killed and several injured in a shooting in the car park of a Mormon church in the Utah capital of Salt Lake City in the United States.
Police said the shooting occurred on Wednesday in the car park of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where dozens of people were attending a funeral.
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Three of the six injured victims are in critical condition.
Police confirmed that no suspect was in custody and have launched a manhunt, with the FBI reportedly offering assistance.
While police said they did not believe the shooting was random, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd told The Associated Press news agency it did not appear to be a targeted attack against a religion.
Church spokesman Glen Mills told reporters there had been signs of a fracas outside the church, where the funeral was taking place.
“Out in the parking lot, there was some sort of altercation took [place] and that’s when shots were fired,” he said.
About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, with helicopters flying overhead.
“As soon as I came over, I see someone on the ground… People are attending to him and crying and arguing,” said Brennan McIntire, a local man who spoke to AP.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said, “This should never have happened outside a place of worship. This should never have happened outside a celebration of life.”
The church, which has headquarters in Salt Lake City, is cooperating with law enforcement.
About half of Utah’s 3.5 million residents are members of the faith. Churches like the one where the shooting occurred can be found in towns throughout the city and state.
The faith has been on heightened alert since four people were killed when a former Marine opened fire in a Michigan church last month and set it ablaze.
The FBI found that he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against the church.
About 82 percent of mass killings in the US in 2025 involved a firearm, according to a database maintained by AP alongside USA Today and Northeastern University.
The shooting in Salt Lake City occurred amid growing unrest in the US, after a federal officer with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis amid ongoing protests against an immigration crackdown.