SALT LAKE CITY — Two people died after two separate shootings on Friday night. They are now a part of the hundreds of people who die every year from firearms in Utah.
Just before midnight, police responded to the first shooting in Sugar House. An argument between several people led to the death of a 26-year-old man and critically injured another 38-year-old man now in stable condition, according to police.
A second shooting between two people happened outside of an apartment north of Liberty Park where police said a 21-year-old man was shot and died on scene.
The Utah Department of Health & Human Services said that an average of 398 Utahns are injured and 416 die from firearms every year. More than half of all homicide and suicide deaths in Utah were firearm-related.
Most firearm-related injuries (86.2%) and deaths (85.8%) were among men, according to DHHS.
Although the DHHS said firearm-related injuries and deaths are common in Utah, police said seeing two gun-related homicides back-to-back in Salt Lake City is not.
“This is extraordinarily rare for Salt Lake City,” said Salt Lake City Police spokesman Brent Weisberg. “Prior to today, our homicide rate for 2024 was down 40 percent compared to where we were in 2023 this time. This is very unusual.”
Police said they’ve detained several people involved in the Sugar House shooting. Investigators are still determining whether there will be charges.
