SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 26, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The juvenile brother of a young shooting victim has been taken into custody as part of the investigation into her death, a Salt Lake City police news release says.
“The shooter, who is under the age of 18, is the brother of the victim,” an SLCPD statement says, noting that at the time of the statement the brother had not been charged.
The investigation started at 12:04 p.m. Wednesday, when dispatch took a call about a shooting in the 1600 block of W. Wright Circle, which is in the Poplar Grove neighborhood of Salt Lake City.
“As officers responded, they learned the victim, a teenage girl, had been shot inside a home,” the SLCPD statement says. “Officers and paramedics responded. Lifesaving efforts were immediately started. The victim died on scene.”
The shooter left the home before officers arrived, the statement says.
“Working with nearby businesses, members of the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Police Community Response Team helped patrol officers to safely locate the shooter.” SLCPD patrol officers quickly responded to the location and arrested the shooter on a Utah Transit Authority bus near 1455 W. 400 South.
According to unconfirmed reports, the sister was younger than her brother.
“The circumstances leading up to the shooting remain under investigation,” the statement says. “Because the shooter left the home and their location and destination unknown, officers worked quickly with the school district to help ensure the safety of several nearby schools.”
Lockouts were lifted when the suspect was in custody.
“The firearm used in this incident has not been recovered. People living within a two-block radius of the area of Edison Elementary are asked to check the area around their home,” the police statement says. “If a firearm – or any part of the firearm – is located, community members should leave it in place and call 911.”
Gephardt Daily will have more information as the case develops.
