Two people were killed and six others injured in a shooting outside a Salt Lake City church Wednesday night while mourners were attending a funeral.
Authorities said no suspect was in custody in the hours after the carpark shooting and the hunt continues for the perpetrator.
AP reports the shooting took place behind The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Utah-based faith known widely as the Mormon church.
All the victims were adults. At least three of the injured remain in a critical condition, police said.
Police said they do not believe the shooter had any animus toward a particular faith. They also don’t think the shooting was random, the AP report sets out.
“We don’t believe this was a targeted attack against a religion or anything like that,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd said.
About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, and helicopters flew overhead.
Police said they were reviewing license plate readers and surveillance videos from nearby businesses in their search for a suspect.
In a statement seen by ABC News, Sam Penrod, spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the church was aware of a “serious incident” outside the church meetinghouse while a memorial service was taking place.
“We extend prayers for all who have been impacted by this tragedy and express deep concern that any sacred space intended for worship should be subjected to violence of any kind,” the statement said.
The red brick church in the northwest Salt Lake City neighborhood mostly serves Tongan congregants and holds regular worship services in their native tongue, according to its website per AP.