SANDY, Utah – The Rackley family members of the Sandy shooting victims have issued a statement about the events Tuesday.
Our family is heartbroken by the events of yesterday. We are focusing on supporting our injured son in his recovery. We are grateful to the Good Samaritan that stopped to help our family and our thoughts are also with their daughter who was injured. At this time we appreciate the prayers of so many. We ask that you respect our privacy as we mourn for our family.
– The Rackley family
For anyone who would like to support memorial services for the family, please send donations to the Rackley Memorial Fund at Mountain America Credit Union.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up for the family.
The deadly shooting unfolded Tuesday at about 3:45 p.m. with the first 911 calls to Sandy Police about a possible domestic situation.
Officers arrived moments later to find five people shot, three of them dead, including 39-year-old Memorez Rackley and her 6-year-old son, Jase.
Sandy Police say, at one point, a woman in an SUV with her 8-year-old daughter spotted Rackley and her two children on the side of the road and offered them a ride.
Moments later, and seemingly out of nowhere, 32-year-old Jeremy Patterson, of Draper, raced up behind the SUV and rammed it with his own truck, disabling the SUV.
At that point, witnesses say, Patterson jumped out of his truck armed with a handgun an opened fire.
Bullets hit Memorez, Jase, his 11-year-old brother and the 8-year-old daughter of the woman driving the SUV.
All three of the children involved attend nearby Brookwood Elementary.
Wednesday is the last day of class before summer break.
Instead of celebrating the end of the school year, Canyons School District officials say grief counselors were brought in for students, their parents and staff.
The two other children who were shot, both fifth graders at Brookwood, are expected to survive.
The 11-year-old boy is in critical condition and the 8-year-old girl is stable.
Sandy Police said Patterson is not the father of any of the children involved.
Officers said Patterson and Rackley “did have some type of relationship, however the extent of the relationship is still under investigation at this time.”
Anyone who would like to help the victims’ family pay for funeral and memorial services is asked to send donations to the Rackley Memorial Fund at Mountain America Credit Union.
