Father of 12 killed in US church shooting as police hunt for gunmen

Pacific communities in the United States are reeling after a mass shooting outside a church in Salt Lake City, Utah, left two men dead and six others injured during a memorial service on Wednesday evening.

Authorities say the gunfire erupted in the parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (LDS) Rose Park 5th Ward meetinghouse, where mourners were attending a funeral.

Police confirmed the victims were adults, saying the incident is believed to have started from a dispute between people who knew each other, and not a random or religiously targeted attack.

One of the men killed has been identified as 46-year-old Vaea Tulikihihifo, a father of 12.

Family and community members have described him as a devoted parent and active member of the Pacific community in Utah, where many Tongan and other Pasifika families attend the church.

At the time of the shooting, Tulikihihifo was reportedly outside the church retrieving baby formula for his five-month-old son.

Police at the scene outside a Salt Lake City church where a memorial service was disrupted by a mass shooting that killed two men and injured six others. Photo/Facebook/Jim Spiewak

“With heavy hearts, we share the sudden and unexpected passing of our beloved brother, Vaea Tulikihihifo Jr.,” they wrote, calling him a devoted husband, loving father, and hardworking provider.

His eldest son, Darian Tulikihihifo, told local media his father was known for putting others first. “He was God-fearing, selfless, and the most caring man you’ll ever meet."

A cousin, Kalo Nau, also told reporters the family was struggling to understand how such a tragedy could happen. “Why him? We just don’t understand. He was just an innocent bystander. This is such a senseless act.”

Watch a tribute to both victims in the Salt Lake City church shooting below.

Police have confirmed Sione Leonaitasi Vatuvei also died in the shooting. He is remembered by friends and community leaders as a husband and father who had embraced faith and non-violence.

Family members say Vatuvei, father of a 16-month-old son, was trying to turn his life around. His wife and sister say the reality of the last few days has not fully set in.

“My husband was one of a kind for sure,” wife Christina Vatuvei told the media.

The couple had been married just three months. She says Sione was attending a funeral when he was fatally shot, an event he told her not to go to.

“I would have been there. I never left his side. I feel like this was his way of looking out for me,” she says.

His sister described a difficult upbringing, saying her brother wanted better for his family and his community. She says he was focused on guiding youth away from the same choices he once made.

Sione Leonaitasi Vatuvei, right, is remembered by friends and community leaders as a husband and father who had embraced faith and non-violence. Photo/Facebook/KUTV 2News

Christina says Sione had been creating online content centred on mental health, suicide prevention, and faith.

“They took away a really good person,” she says. “I feel like he was just getting started, and now he’s gone.”

GoFundMe pages have been created for the families.

Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd announced on Friday that no arrests have yet been made, and detectives are still investigating.

Officers believe there may have been more than one shooter, but have encountered challenges with witness cooperation.

Surveillance footage and licence-plate data are being reviewed to identify suspects.

Photo/Instagram/cbs2boise

Of the six people wounded, five remained in hospital with police protection as officers work to interview them, while one had been released. At least three were in critical condition.

Police have stressed there is no known ongoing threat to the public and that the violence does not appear to be linked to the church’s religious activity.

“We do not believe this was a targeted attack against religion or that it was random,” Chief Redd told media.

The meetinghouse where the incident occurred primarily serves Tongan congregations, and services are often conducted in Tongan, according to its website.

LDS missionaries first arrived in Tonga in the early 1890s, according to the church’s website.

At first, they had little success and the mission closed in 1897. But a decade later, missionaries opened a school in Neiafu, Tonga’s second-largest town, and began preaching across the islands.

Sione Leonaitasi Vatuvei also died in the shooting. Photo/Facebook/KUTV 2News

Dozens of other schools were started by missionaries and seven remain open. The church's membership in Tonga has grown to 68,000 and 175 congregations.

“Since the 19th century, the church has had a really, really prominent place in Tongan society. Depending on who you ask, somewhere between one-third and two-thirds of everybody who lives in Tonga are members of the LDS church,” Matthew Bowman, a Claremont Graduate University professor specialising in US religious history, told reporters.

Today, more than a quarter of the Tongan population in the US resides in Utah, where the church is headquartered. The state's Tongan population is about 23,000 and is mostly concentrated in Salt Lake County, according to census data.

Pacific community groups in Utah have expressed deep sorrow, sharing tributes to both men killed.

Susi Feltch-Malohifo’ou, CEO of Pacific Island Knowledge 2 Action Resources (PIK2AR), a major advocacy organisation in the state, says Vatuvei and Tulikihihifo were well-known and valued members of the Tongan and wider Pacific community.

Watch as a member of the community pleads with mourners to help police in their investigations.

Feltch-Malohifo’ou says the shooting has shaken families already facing the grief of the funeral being held inside the church.

Local officials, including Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, have condemned the violence, calling it “heartbreaking” and unacceptable, especially outside a place of worship during a memorial service.

Police continue to urge anyone with information to come forward as the search for suspects continues.