SALT LAKE CITY — An exchange of gunfire took place during a shooting outside a Salt Lake City church on Wednesday, police confirmed, adding that its investigation has been hindered by a lack of cooperation by those at the scene.
Two people were killed in the shooting, while another six people were injured, including three who were originally listed in critical condition.
During a briefing Thursday, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd shared additional details about the incident, which he said was sparked by a dispute between an unknown number of people in the parking lot of the church while a service was taking place on inside.
As of 10 a.m., no suspects have been identified. Thursday, but police believe there was more than one suspect involved in the shooting at 660 Redwood Road.
Watch full police briefing on church shooting in video below:
Redd added that those involved in the confrontation were familiar with each other and that the shooting was not random and had nothing to do with religious affiliation, but could not confirm that it was gang-related. However, the department's investigation has been slowed due to people refusing to speak with the police.
"There are people involved in this incident who have been less than cooperative, and we're still working to all to identify all who were involved in the incident and their roles in the matter," said Redd.
"We interviewed a number of people last night. We're taking the information that we get, but again, we're still having some challenges with cooperation."
The chief said some people were handcuffed immediately after the shooting and detained, but after interviews took place, those individuals were released and not placed under arrest. Detectives are currently at the hospital and attempting to speak with the surviving victims.
Gunshots can be heard in surveillance video below near scene of church shooting:
The names of the victims, 38-year-old Sione Vatuvei and 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo, were released, with Redd adding that none of the surviving victims suffered life-threatening injuries, and that one has already been released from the hospital.
It's not known if all the parties involved in the confrontation and shooting were at the church together, or if some arrived at the location not connected to the religious service taking place.
"That's what we're still looking into and investigating," Redd said. "No additional updates on that right now. We're still looking into all of that. It was a very complicated crime scene, but we are looking into that. We're looking at all evidence that we can obtain from the scene."
