SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 3, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A man was killed in a shooting outside the Salt Palace Convention Center on Saturday afternoon, Salt Lake City police said.
Police say the shooting happened about 3:15 p.m. as people were leaving the convention center at 100 S. West Temple.
“Based on what we know right now, we believe that there was some sort of fight involving multiple people who had just left the convention center where there was a convention happening,” Salt Lake City police spokesman Brent Weisberg said.
Witnesses told police the fight escalated into a shooting in the street, Weisberg said. Police are searching for multiple suspects who immediately left the area in a vehicle, he said.
“When our officers arrived on scene, they located one person who was down on the ground. That person had critical injuries,” Weisberg said.
Witnesses rendered first aid to the man before first responders arrived, he said. The victim was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where he later died, Weisberg said.
No other information about the victim was immediately released. The man’s death becomes the eighth homicide in Salt Lake City in 2022, police said.
“My deepest condolences go out to the family of the man killed,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said. “We have devoted many resources to this investigation. What happened today does not represent downtown or our great city. Our police officers did a remarkable job during a chaotic and quickly unfolding event. They showed compassion and helped people who found themselves in a very stressful situation. I’m proud of our officers.”
Police didn’t provide any information about the convention the victim and suspects attended prior to the shooting. Scheduled events at the Salt Palace on Saturday included Sneaker Con, a one-day event for buying, selling and authenticating shoe collections.
Witnesses told police the shooter and at least one other person with him ran into a nearby parking garage and left in a car. Officers checked nearby businesses and parking garages looking for any potential threats or additional victims, police said.
Salt Lake City police are working with law enforcement agencies throughout the county to locate the suspects, Weisberg said.
“Based on the information we have so far, we believe there are likely people in our community who saw this, who know the people involved with the shooting, and we are asking those people to come forward and help us with this investigation,” he said.
Police originally responded to reports of a shooting at 100 S. State before additional 911 calls directed officers to 100 S. West Temple, Weisberg said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at 801-799-3000.
