WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (BN24) — A carnival argument exploded into deadly gunfire Sunday night, killing three people — including an 8-month-old baby — in a tragic outburst that capped one of the most violent weekends Salt Lake City has seen in recent memory.
The shooting occurred during WestFest, a community fair in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City. A 16-year-old boy allegedly opened fire during a heated confrontation between two groups, just yards from a police mobile command center stationed at the park.
The teen fatally shot Hassan Lugundi, 18, believed to be an intended target, along with a bystander, 41-year-old Fnu Reena of West Jordan, and an 8-month-old infant whose name has not been released. Reena and the child, who were in the line of fire, died at a nearby hospital.
Two more teenagers — a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy — were wounded but are expected to recover. A pregnant woman was also injured as she attempted to escape over a fence in the chaos that followed the shooting.
Police say the violence erupted around 10 p.m., shortly before the carnival was set to close. Officers already at the scene moved to break up the fight but were caught off guard when the teen suddenly pulled a gun and began shooting. One officer fired back but missed. The suspect was quickly subdued and taken into custody. He now faces three counts of homicide and is being held in juvenile detention.
Officials have not released the shooter’s name due to his age. Police are still working to determine whether the fight and subsequent shooting were gang-related, though West Valley City spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku confirmed that the investigation is ongoing and complex.
“This was supposed to be a celebration of our city’s culture and unity,” Vainuku said. “Instead, it turned into an unimaginable tragedy.”
The gunfire at the carnival came just one day after a separate and unrelated deadly shooting occurred during a “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City. During that incident, a member of the protest’s peacekeeping team shot a man reportedly wielding a rifle toward demonstrators. While the armed man survived with minor injuries, a bystander was fatally struck and later died in the hospital.
The back-to-back shootings have stunned the Salt Lake City area, where violent gun incidents of this scale are rare, especially occurring so close together.
The carnival, which draws crowds of up to 10,000 people throughout the weekend, had roughly 1,000 to 2,000 attendees present when the shots rang out. WestFest is traditionally a peaceful event that celebrates the founding of West Valley City and its diverse community.
The officer involved in returning fire Sunday night is under routine review by a Salt Lake City Police Department protocol team. Due to that investigation, both the officer who fired and a second officer present will not be immediately interviewed by local authorities.
“We won’t speculate on the motive until we complete our interviews,” Vainuku said. “This is a complex case with multiple victims and a juvenile suspect. The community deserves clear and verified answers.”
The weekend’s deadly violence has renewed calls for improved safety at public gatherings and sparked fresh debate around juvenile access to firearms. As authorities work to piece together the details, the families of the victims and the broader Salt Lake community are left mourning lives lost far too soon.
