According to local authorities, eight members of a rural Utah family—including five children—were found dead inside a home in Enoch City on Wednesday.
Nearly 250 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, in the agricultural city of around 8,000 people, police officers made the find while performing a “welfare check” at the residence. More information on the deceased or the circumstances of the shootings was withheld by local authorities for a time.
City officials issued a statement on Wednesday saying, “At this time, we do not feel there is a threat to the public or that there are any suspects at large.” They stated that the probe is still ongoing.
The city manager, Rob Dotson, stated that there was no indication of a motive and that it would probably take days or longer for investigators to draw any conclusions about what had happened inside the house.
In a video message provided to the media on Wednesday night, Mr. Dotson stated, “We don’t know why this happened, and we’re not going to assume.”
He said that a welfare check is typically carried out when other neighbors express concerns or when neighbors are absent for an unusually long period of time, but he would not elaborate on the specifics of the call to authorities about the family.
Mr. Dotson declared, “This community is feeling regret and suffering.” There are those who are hurt because of this incident among friends, neighbors, and relatives.
Everyone knows one another in Enoch City, according to neighbors, who characterized it as a close-knit neighborhood where properties rarely go up for sale, making the deaths all the more surprising. The neighborhood where the victims were discovered by authorities is frequently populated by kids playing in yards and friendly neighbors who offer to shovel snow for one another.
After hearing of the incident, Richard Jensen, a local councilman, claimed to have cried intermittently throughout the night. So that his 11-year-old son wouldn’t have to learn about what had happened in school, he summoned the strength to tell him about it.
In an interview, Mr. Jensen stated, “This was a respected community figure and church leader, and it is sending shock waves.
The five kids were all students at the Iron County School District in Cedar City, Utah, according to a statement on its website on Wednesday. According to school authorities, the loss would undoubtedly cause “emotions, anxieties, and questions for our whole school system, especially our youngsters.”
A citizen of Enoch City named Aaron Diamond claimed to have a close relationship with the victims since they went to the same church. He stated that the family was “simply a fantastic, wonderful family” and revealed that the father had previously worked for an insurance company.
Mr. Diamond declared, “We’re all just stunned and heartbroken.” The locals are friendly with one another.
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