SPANISH FORK, Utah — Sitting atop a hill in Utah County for over two decades, the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork has been rocked this month by multiple shootings, the latest coming this weekend, that have sparked an investigation by the sheriff's office.
Video and photos show multiple bullet holes at the temple located off 8500 South. Casings from the rounds were also discovered outside the Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple, where people from all walks of life come to find peace.
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“A lot of people from different religions come here. It’s a sanctuary, a community sanctuary,” said Vai Warden, the president of the temple.
Built in the early 90s, the 10,000-square-foot Shri Shri Radha Krishna Temple sits on a 15-acre campus alongside peacocks, llamas and cows. Never before has the temple been shaken as it has this month.
“We’ve gone on well over these last decades with no trouble, and now suddenly, whether it’s religious or politically motivated, we don’t know," Warden shared.
According to Warden, the temple was shot at three different times in June, with bullet holes seen through an arch, exterior walls and a window. Security video shows a car driving up to the temple's front gate and someone shooting at the building.
The sheriff's office Investigations Division is working with the evidence discovered at the temple and is asking anyone with information on the vandalism to contact the authorities.
Warden is now working to make the temple a place of peace once again.
“We believe this was based on hate," she said. “We want to find out who did this and prevent this from happening again.”
