Six injured in ‘chaotic’ fight outside Salt Lake City funeral home: Police

(SALT LAKE CITY) — Six people were injured, including one critically, after a fight broke out outside a funeral home in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, authorities said.

Police received multiple reports around 1:30 p.m. MT of a fight and stabbing at a funeral home in downtown Salt Lake City, authorities said.

“There was some sort of fight that broke out,” Salt Lake City Police Department spokesperson Brent Weisberg said at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon, describing it as a “very chaotic scene.”

Officers found four people outside the funeral home who were transported to local hospitals with minor to life-threatening injuries, police said.

One person in critical condition was initially believed to have been shot, though doctors have been unable to determine the cause of injury, police said in an update. The person was still in surgery Tuesday evening, police said.

The three others have injuries consistent with a stabbing, though their cause of injury also remains under investigation, Weisberg said.

Several witnesses also called 911 to report a vehicle potentially involved in the incident that left the funeral home at a “high rate of speed,” according to Weisberg.

Officers stopped a vehicle matching the description several blocks away from the funeral home, police said. Two occupants were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries and have since been released, police said. They were not believed to have been stabbed or shot, police said.

A third occupant was detained for questioning, Weisberg said.

A firearm was located inside the vehicle, according to Weisberg. Police are working to obtain a search warrant for the vehicle to collect the weapon, he said.

There was an event at the funeral home involving a “large” number of attendees when the incident occurred outside, Weisberg said. Police believe all six injured people were attending the event, he said.

Detectives are working to determine who was involved in the fight, Weisberg said, describing it as a “very complex investigation.”

“At this point, we have not been able to determine the motive for this nor have we been able to determine … how many people were considered suspects or victims,” Weisberg said.

No arrests have been made as of Tuesday evening, police said. Police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident, Weisberg said.

Detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Violent Crime and Robbery Squad and Gang Unit are assisting with the investigation.

No additional details on those injured were immediately available.

There is not believed to be a threat to the community at this time, police said.

“This type of incident is extraordinarily rare for our city,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said in a statement. “I know our detectives are working quickly to determine the motive for this incident, but I am relieved to know that based on the preliminary investigation this was not a random attack.”

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