WEST JORDAN, Utah, April 18, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A mother and father were shot to death early Saturday in West Jordan. Their three small children were left unhurt in the home, which showed signs of forced entry.
Sgt. J.C. Holt, West Jordan Police Department, told Gephardt Daily that police arrived shortly after a 1:15 a.m. call to dispatch, in which a neighbor said she heard gunshots and a woman screaming.
Officers responded to the scene, near 7000 South and 3200 West, and knocked on the door, Holt said. When no one answered, police went to the backyard and found the 31-year-old male victim, deceased. Entering the house, officers found the female victim, 30, also dead. Both had been shot.
“There were also three kids inside the home, the oldest age 4, and down to infant,” Holt said. “They were not injured in any of this.”
The children are now in the care of family members, who “are fully cooperative and obviously upset, to get that phone call to come get the kids,” Holt said.
Gephardt Daily was on the scene early Saturday, when police from multiple agencies were securing and searching the area. K-9s were brought in, but no suspect was located.
Police are following leads, but the identity and even the gender of the shooter or shooters has not been confirmed, Holt said.
There are signs an altercation took place prior to the shootings, he said, and the house had been “gone through.” The motive for the shootings is unknown, Holt said.
There is also evidence the shooter may have been injured with a knife. Police are asking that members of the public who know anything about the crime call dispatch, and even call in about anyone with a fresh knife injury that cannot be explained.
“We believe the suspect left the area in a car, but we don’t have information on that car,” Holt said. “We are trying to develop suspect information right now.”
Holt said the couple had police had not been called to the residence before, and the couple had no criminal history. There was no evidence found to suggest they were involved in illegal activities, he said.
The names of the victims will be released later on Saturday, Holt said, after out-of-state relatives can be alerted to the deaths.
“It’s just a horrible case,” Holt said of the case. It’s just really awful.”
