SALT LAKE CITY — A day after the tragic shooting outside a church in the Rose Park neighborhood, friends and family of those who were killed are trying to process what happened.
The past 24 hours have been unthinkable for the Tulikihihifo family.
"We take things for granted, not knowing who we have, how long we have them for in our lives,” said Darian Tulikihihifo. "To me, my dad was someone I looked up to. He was Godfearing, selfless, most caring man I ever meet."
Darian is the eldest of Vaea Tulikihihifo’s 11 children. They adored their dad, who on Wednesday was at a memorial service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse.
"My dad was there to support others, to mourn with others, just like how others have done for us,” Darian said.
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Eight people were shot during the incident, with two being killed — Vaea, or Junior as he was fondly called, was one of them.
"Share that light that he gave us,” Darian said about his dad. “He was the life of the party. Anywhere he went, everybody knew he was coming, everybody could feel his spirit coming from miles away, he was definitely a family man at first.”
The tragedy was one that broke the hearts of many — especially for those in the Pacific Islander community. The congregation at the meeting house was predominantly Tongan.
"Some people are angry about it, some people who are just tired, frustrated, why do we have to lose so many people like this, why did it have to be at a family event, at a place that we respect?" said Oreta Tupola, with Pacific Islander Knowledge 2 Action Resources.
The organization works to create safe spaces and provide resources. They also host sessions for men called KAVA — Knowledge Above Violence Always.
Sione Vatuvei led some of those talks. He was the other victim killed in Wednesday's shooting that is believed to have started from a dispute outside the service.
"He was trying to share more hope and positive messages around his situation and how, what he has learned from the life that he lived,” explained Tupola.
Meanwhile, Darian Tulikihihifo is holding his siblings close and trying to move forward.
"My dad didn’t leave us here by ourselves," he shared. "He definitely taught us to always lean towards one another."
The Tulikihihifo family has created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.
