According to officials, eight family members, five of whom were youngsters, were found dead from gunshot wounds in a southern Utah house on Wednesday. No other information or possible motivation for the killings was provided.
According to a statement issued by municipal officials in Enoch, a tiny community of roughly 8,000 people situated 245 miles (394 kilometres) south of Salt Lake City, the victims were discovered during a welfare check at the property.
According to police, no public danger was discovered
According to Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson, the revelation of the eight fatalities shook the town, and the victims, all members of one family, were well known in the southern Utah hamlet.
“Many of us have worked alongside them in church, in the community, and in school,” Dotson said in a video message released Wednesday night.
“This neighborhood is in need right now. They’re suffering loss, sadness, and a lot of questions,” Dotson continued, stressing that officials expected to release additional information as it became available as the police investigation progressed.
“We won’t know the attitudes, the sentiments of the folks that suffered this catastrophe,” Dotson added, choking up at one point.
According to Dotson, welfare checks based on calls to the police department, such as the one that led them to the apartment where the deceased were located, are standard when someone hasn’t been seen in a long time.
Five children were shot fatally.
According to the letter addressed to parents, the five youngsters attended schools in the Iron County School District.
Enoch, located off Interstate 15 in rural Utah, approximately north of Cedar City and roughly 80 miles (128 kilometres) west of Bryce Canyon National Park, experienced significant flooding in 2021, causing damage to hundreds of houses.
In a tweet Wednesday night, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox expressed his sympathy.
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