Five dead, one critically injured after police say father shot Utah family

Police believe a man shot his wife and four children in a Salt Lake City suburb over the weekend, according to a Wednesday news conference. Police found the parents and three children, aged 11, 9, and 2, dead at the scene on Tuesday. Authorities found the family's oldest son, a 17-year-old boy, clinging to life with a critical gunshot wound to the head, West Valley City Police Department spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said at a Wednesday news conference.

Police currently believe the father shot the family before taking his own life, using a handgun found under his body, Vainuku said. She emphasized that those findings are preliminary and both forensic and ballistic evidence would provide final confirmation. The spokeswoman said authorities have not determined a motive for the attack. There was no history of domestic violence in the home and the father did not leave a suicide note, Vainuku said. Authorities believe the attack happened either Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Why didn’t the police respond to the shooting immediately? Authorities were unaware of the crime until a concerned family member entered the home and found the injured son in the garage. The same family member requested a welfare check on the family Monday night after she had not heard from one of the victims. Vainuku said officers conducting the welfare check were only allowed to look into the home’s windows and speak with neighbors. Officers saw nothing suspicious through the windows, and neighbors said it was not unusual to go several days without seeing the family, the spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman said no neighbors reported hearing gunshots, which would have alerted police sooner.

Vainuku responded to criticism for waiting a day before responding to a request for a welfare check. This situation is difficult because adults have a right to do what they want, which includes dropping communication with family and friends, she said. Despite authorities being alerted to the scene, they could not enter the home without a warrant and there was no proof of exigent circumstances to obtain a warrant, Vainuku added.