Community pays tribute to 4 family members killed in Grantsville shooting

Four people have been found dead of gunshot wounds inside a Grantsville home Friday night, Jan. 17, 2020, and one other person was alive but wounded and was transported to the hospital. Photo: Gephardt Daily/Monico Garza/SLCScanner

GRANTSVILLE, Utah, Jan. 19, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Facebook fundraiser has been set up to benefit the remaining family of the four people shot dead on Friday in Grantsville, three of whom were children.

Grantsville Police Cpl. Rhonda Fields told Gephardt Daily that all shot are believed to be members of the same family, but she said police will not confirm that fact until victim identities are formally released Sunday.

A fifth victim, an adult male, sustained gunshot wounds and is in stable condition at an area hospital. Fields said at the scene that the suspect, a teenage minor, accompanied the surviving victim to the hospital.

The incident is the largest mass shooting in Utah since the shooting in Trolley Square that occurred on the evening of Feb. 12, 2007. In that instance, a gunman identified as Sulejman Talović killed five people and wounded four others before being shot dead by several members of the Salt Lake City Police Department.

The woman and children who died in Grantsville were found in a residence on Eastmoor Drive, near Main Street, Fields told reporters. Police were dispatched to the scene just after 7 p.m. Friday.

Fields confirmed to Gephardt Daily on Saturday that the young suspect is in custody at a juvenile detention facility.

The Facebook page is titled ‘Funeral and Medical Expenses for the Haynie Family.’

The page says: “A local family suffered a great loss this weekend. A mom and her three minor children were killed and the father was hospitalized in critical condition. The family now has to pay the very expensive funeral and medical expenses related to this tragedy. There will be many expenses that will come up including having the home cleaned, repaired and made to feel like a home again. As a loving community, there has been many that have asked what can be done. This is the very best place to start. Thank you in advance for any donations, kind words, or up lifting messages that are sent. They are very much appreciated.”

As of Sunday morning at 11:45 a.m., the page has raised $38,525 of a goal of $50,000 and 925 people have donated. Many offered messages of support and shared the fundraiser on their own pages.

A former neighbor wrote: “The Haynie family lived just a couple doors down from where I grew up in Grantsville and were very close to our family. This tragic event has really affected my family, for multiple reasons. They have always been so kind and giving to us, always showing us by example how to serve and love your neighbors and friends.

“Continue to pray for them and reach out to them, but also if you have any means to help them at all, please do so now. I can’t imagine the grief they are going through and this is just one small way we can ease their burdens and show them we are behind them, whether we are near or far.”

One Facebook user wrote: “Our small community was shaken this weekend as we learned of this horrible tragedy. The one thing this family need not worry about as they navigate through this grief, is money. Every little bit helps. There will be so many unforeseen expenses. Please, if you can, donate… and if you can’t, share.”

Another user wrote: “Our family send their love and prayers for comfort and understanding. You are not alone. We are here for you.”

Another user wrote: “Truthfully they will need so much more than $50,000. Everyone pitch in and show our love, thoughts and prayers.”

One user added: “We care, and we feel for you and your family. Hold on to each other tightly.”

Grantsville Mayor Brent Marshall spoke to reporters near the shooting scene, confirming those involved were members of a single family.

“I’m sure it will take days or even longer to try and piece together what brought all of this on and why it happened, if we ever get to know why it happened,” Marshall said. “It’s upsetting. This is normally a very quiet neighborhood, and any time you have children involved in something, it becomes very emotional, very fast.”

Tooele County Schools announced grief counselors will be available when school resumes Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked to hear of the events that occurred in Grantsville,” the post said. “We want to express our sincere condolences to those who have been impacted by this tragic situation. It is important that we stand together to care for and support each other through this difficult time. The District crisis team has been working to ensure students and staff will have counseling services in the Grantsville area, as well as in schools throughout Tooele County School District. Services will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 21. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”

The link to the Facebook fundraiser can be found here.

Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.

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