Family of 8, Including 5 Minors Found Fatally Shot Inside Utah Home: Officials

Police tape in a file photo. Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

The bodies of eight people, including three adults and five minors, who sustained gunshot wounds, were found inside a home in Enoch City, Utah, on Jan. 4, officials said.

Law enforcement officials were called to the home to conduct a welfare check and found the bodies inside, according to a press release from city officials.

“Each appeared to have sustained gunshot wounds,” officers said of the eight victims. “At this time, we do not believe there is a threat to the public or that there are any suspects at large.”

The identities of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths are not currently known. An investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.

In a Facebook post to the Iron County Schools Parents Group, the Iron County School District said that the eight individuals that died were all members of the same family. Five of the individuals were students of the district.

“This loss is sure to raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school district, especially our students,” the post read.

The district has set up a crisis intervention team that will be available for students and parents, according to the statement.

“Our district has a Crisis Intervention Team made up of professionals trained to help with the needs of students, parents, and school personnel during difficult times such as this. At our schools, we will have counselors available for any student who may need or want help or assistance surrounding this loss. Students should report to the counseling center or their school administrative offices to access that support,” the statement said.

‘We All Know This Family’

Enoch City has a population of around 8,000 people and is located in southwestern Utah, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.

Enoch City Manager Rob Dotson said in a statement to local television station KSL-TV that the incident was out of the ordinary in a small community in rural Utah.

“We don’t know why this happened and we’re not going to guess, we’re going to continue the police investigation in the home, going through all the details they can, making all the information available they can divulge from what’s happened inside. And we will have more information as it comes forward,” Dotson said.

He added that the close-knit community is at a loss for words over the deaths of the family members, who he said were church-goers. According to Dotson, a welfare check is typically conducted by law enforcement officials when neighbors raise concerns or if the individuals in question have not been seen for an unusual amount of time.

“It’s hard to describe in words the emotions that are going through the people that live here. We all know this family. Many of us have served with them in church, in the community, or gone to school with these individuals,” Dotson continued. “So this community at this time is hurting. They’re feeling loss, they’re feeling pain, they have a lot of questions which is natural, and they’re here to support.”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Wednesday asked on Twitter that people “keep the community of Enoch in your prayers” while calling the deaths “senseless violence.”

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson also wrote on Twitter: “What a tragedy. I’m praying for the community of Enoch tonight.”