SANDY, Utah, June 6, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Three people are dead and two others have been transported to the hospital after a shooting in Sandy on Tuesday afternoon.
The dead are one adult male, confirmed by police to be the shooter; one adult female; and a male juvenile.
The Canyons School District confirmed Wednesday morning the boy who died in the shooting was a kindergartner at Brookwood Elementary School.
Those transported to the hospital are a juvenile male, who was admitted in critical condition and has since been upgraded to stable, and a juvenile female who was and remains in stable condition.
Sgt. Jason Nielsen said that about 3:45 p.m., a 911 call alerted officers to the shootings. Officers responded to the street near 2232 Alta Canyon Drive, which is within a few blocks to the west of Brookwood Elementary School.
Nielsen said that a good Samaritan had picked up the woman and some of the children, and that his car was then rammed by the shooter, who then got out of his car and began firing.
Nielsen would not elaborate on why he called the driver who picked up the woman and children a good Samaritan, but said that information would be coming out. That man was unhurt, Nielsen said.
The incident happened in the street near 2232 Alta Canyon Drive, which is within a few blocks to the west of Brookwood Elementary School. The school was placed on lockout, but that has since been lifted.
A Canyons School District Facebook post said “The District will make crisis counselors available tonight and all day tomorrow to assist students, staff and faculty who are dealing with difficult emotions.”
Ridge Workman was at home, playing video games, when it happened.
“I heard gunshots, but at first I assumed they were fireworks, but I realized this time of year, that wasn’t really a thing, so I looked out my window and I saw police cars and fire trucks coming down the hill, and I knew something had really happened,” Workman said.
He heard seven or eight shots, he said.
‘I’m just a little scared,” the teen admitted. “I saw a car with bullet holes in it, I saw a smashed-in window, and I saw blood.”
Jordan Smith, a local resident, was headed home with her children and a neighbor child she had picked up from Brookwood Elementary School when she saw what she thought was an auto-pedestrian accident.
When she realized there was a man with a gun, she put eight or nine extra school kids into her car and its trunk, and took them a short but safe distance away, warning other drivers as she retreated.
Gephardt Daily will have more information as it becomes available.
I will never understand the evil of a shooter. It’s such a cowardly way to hurt, maim and kill others. The heartbreak and devastation they leave behind is immeasurable. I think the woman who gathered those children is a hero. She shielded the little ones and also warned other drivers of the danger ahead. Thank you just isn’t enough.