A Salt Lake City LDS church funeral turned into a chaotic scene of bloodshed and terror. A gunman opened fire outside the Mormon Day of Saints Church, killing two parishioners and wounding six others before police took him into custody, authorities confirmed.
The deadly Utah assault unfolded just before 11 a.m. Wednesday local time. Dozens of Salt Lake City LDS church members were attending a funeral viewing inside the building at the time. All the of the Utah Mormon church shooting were adults.
DEVELOPING: Huge police presence near church on Redwood Road in Salt Lake City, Utah amid reports of shooting. – local media pic.twitter.com/TkyKPPOLyU
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) January 8, 2026
Salt Lake City LDS church families and friends had gathered inside the Mormon worship center for a memorial service when an altercation broke out in the parking lot, and multiple shots rang out. Emergency calls flooded in as worshippers rushed outside to find relatives and neighbors struck by gunfire in the chaotic scene.
Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Glen Mills said an active manhunt is underway in response to the crime, as officers work to identify and locate the shooter or shooters responsible for the attack. He confirmed that the department’s Gang Unit has been brought in to assist with the murder investigation. While police have not released any suspect descriptions or vehicle information, Mills said at least one person was taken into custody shortly before 10 p.m., though authorities have not confirmed whether that individual is directly connected to the shooting.
Addressing reporters during a late-night press conference, Police Chief Brian Redd said investigators do not believe the violence was motivated by religion, but emphasized that it also does not appear to have been a random act.
“We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion but we also don’t believe that it was random,” Redd said, adding that detectives who specialize in gang-related violence were also dispatched to the scene as part of the ongoing investigation.
Inside the meetinghouse, devastated family members were left in shock as they struggled to comprehend the sudden outbreak of violence. One man, who asked not to be identified, described the horrifying moment he realized what had happened after stepping outside during the funeral viewing.
Two people were killed, and six were injured in a shooting outside a Salt Lake City church
pic.twitter.com/XkVAemdtcp
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) January 8, 2026
“I was inside at the funeral viewing, then I walked outside and all my cousins were on the ground after getting shot,” he told ABC4. The man said the violence was especially devastating given the circumstances surrounding the gathering, noting that the family had already been grieving a recent loss. “Tonight was a funeral viewing for one of my cousins who died just a few days ago — but I guess there’s going to be a few more funerals now,” he added.
Another family member, visibly shaken, struggled to process the sudden eruption of violence outside the meetinghouse. “It’s cruel. It’s a cruel world, especially at a funeral. It’s not right. It’s not fair,” the unidentified relative told ABC4.
A woman who had been inside the building when the gunfire erupted described the panic and confusion that followed. Speaking through tears, she said she was in the bathroom when she heard screams and then gunshots.
“I was in the bathroom of the church when all of a sudden I heard screaming. [After hearing the gunshots] I looked for my dad and my mom. Everything was just everywhere all at once,” she said.
