Three people were killed, including an infant, in a shooting at WestFest in West Valley City Sunday night. A 16-year-old suspect is in custody.
A total of five people were shot at the festival, according to Roxeanne Vainuku, deputy communications director for West Valley City. A 41-year-old woman, an 8-month-old infant and an 18-year-old male were killed when a juvenile opened fire during the last night of the festival. Both the woman and infant were transported to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The 18-year-old died at the scene. Two other teenagers were shot in the arm.
Police said they will not be releasing the names of the victims or the suspect in custody at this time.
West Valley Police confirmed on X at 10 p.m. that shots were fired near Centennial Park, located on 5405 W 3100 S.
Vainuku said around 9:20 p.m., police saw a verbal altercation between two groups break out during the festival. They approached the groups to “calm things down,” Vainuku said, when officers “witnessed a male from one of the groups pull out a gun and start firing it toward the other group.”
Police returned fire but did not hit the suspect. Vainuku said the victims were struck by the 16-year-old and not by police. Officers believe the 18-year-old who died was connected to one of the groups. The woman and infant were not involved in the confrontation.
A pregnant woman was hurt while attempting to climb a fence to escape the gunfire.
June 15 was the last night of the four-day festival hosted by West Valley City to commemorate its founding. The only thing on the schedule was the carnival taking place from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m.
“WestFest is something that is a celebration of our community, a celebration of all of the things that make our community great, a celebration of the diversity and the fun and the good, hard-working people of our community,” Vainuku said. “It's heartbreaking, I think, for all of us to see something like this happen as something that is just a real treasure, something we really enjoy in our community.”
The WestFest shooting occurred one day after a man was killed during the “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City.
West Valley Police aren’t looking for any other suspects. Vainuku said officers don’t know if the shooting was gang-related, stating they have not yet interviewed the suspect.
