KEARNS, Utah — Following last week's fatal shooting in a church parking lot, Kearns Precinct Chief Levi Hughes is telling residents they live in a "safe place."
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In a post to social media Mondays, Hughes wrote a letter to ease the fear among residents who have seen several criminal incidents occur in Kearns over the past few months.
"First, Kearns is a safe place to live," wrote Hughes, who claimed his precinct has closed multiple drug houses and arrested suspects over the past nine months.
A letter to the Kearns community from Kearns Precinct Chief Hughes.....
Posted by Unified Police Department Kearns Precinct on Monday, March 15, 2021
Hoping to assure those who live in Kearns, Hughes said the recent acts of violence were targeted and not random.
"Each of these horribly sad cases have all been perpetrated with a specific intent," said Hughes. "These are not random cases with random bystanders being victimized."
One man and two teens were arrested Friday after a fatal shooting inside a church parking lot. The shooting occurred as "ruse" drug transaction, police say.
In January, Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero was kidnapped from her Kearns home in the middle of the day and later killed.
In the letter, Hughes praised his staff and hopes residents show them understanding for the hard work they do on their behalf.
"I'm very proud of our Kearns Police Department! I want you to know that our department loves Kearns."