WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, June 15, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) -- Five people were shot and three of them died in the final hours of WestFest, a four-day carnival event that started Thursday in West Valley City.
West Valley City police on scene observed two groups of people arguing with each other, said Roxeanne Vainuku, the city's deputy communications director.
The WVCPD officers "approached these two groups in order to break this up and calm things down," Vainuku told reporters at the scene.
"And as they approached, they witnessed a male from one of the groups pull out a gun and start firing it toward the other group."
One officer did return fire, but did not hit the suspect, a 16-year-old boy who was quickly subdued and taken into custody. The shooting happened at about 9:20 p.m. Sunday, Vainuku said. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene.
Those killed in the incident were:
- An 18-year-old male, who was in the group the juvenile shooter was arguing with
- An 8-month-old infant whose family was not involved in the argument
- A 41-year-old woman, who was also an innocent bystander
Two other teens, a girl of 17 and a boy of 15, were each shot in the arm, Vainuku said. It was not immediately known if they were connected to either of the arguing groups, she said.
In addition, a pregnant woman was injured while trying to climb a fence and get herself to safety. Her injury was not the result of a shooting, but an attempt to get away from the gunfire.
The officers witnessed the shooting, Vainuku said, and took the 16-year-old boy into custody. He will be taken to the police station for questioning, she said.
"There were numerous people who witnessed this incident," Vainuku said. "Detectives, right now, are working through conducting interviews with those witnesses.
"They are also aware of a number of people who witnessed this incident but left in kind of the chaos of everything. If there are people out there who have some information, we ask that they do contact the West Valley City Police Department."
Vainuku said it was not yet clear if the altercation between the two groups was gang-related.
The names of the 18-year-old man and the 41-year-old woman killed will be released after next-of-kin are notified, Vainuku said. The name of the juvenile alleged shooter will be released only if he is ultimately tried as an adult.
The name of the infant will not be released by police.
WestFest was held at Centennial Park, at 5405 W. 3100 South, and was scheduled to end at 11 p.m.
