Salt Lake City Shooting Victims ID’d: An Aspiring Influencer, a Dad Picking Up Baby Formula

The two people killed in a mass shooting in Salt Lake City early Wednesday, Jan. 7, have been identified.

The gunfire erupted after an argument reportedly broke out during a funeral service at a local meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Two people were killed and six others were injured, according to reports from KTXS, ABC 4, and The Salt Lake City Tribune.

The two victims who died were identified as Sione Vatuvei, 38, and Vaea Tulikihihifo, 46, the outlets reported.

A family member identified Vatuvei to ABC 4 and described him as an aspiring social media influencer who was working toward a positive path.

“He was becoming a light,” Isileli Tuiaki, who ABC 4 identified as a relative of both victims, said about Vatuvei. “He was paving a way to those who might’ve had addictions of any type of problem.”

Tulikihihifo was later identified by his family, who told The Salt Lake City Tribune that he had recently become a father and was not involved in the dispute. They said he was heading to the family car to grab baby formula for his 5-month-old when he was hit by gunfire.

“Why him? We just don’t understand,” Kalo Nau, who the newspaper identified as Tulikihihifo’s first cousin, said. “He was just an innocent bystander. This is such a senseless act.”

Police said in an update that “at least three” of the injured victims were still in critical condition as of the night of Thursday, Jan. 8.

“The suspects are still outstanding, but our officers have obtained solid leads and are working to locate those involved,” police said.

Authorities emphasized the shooting was not a random attack on a religious site. Investigators believe it stemmed from a dispute between individuals arguing outside the building.

“This tragedy never should have happened,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said, according to KTXS. “The fact that it happened outside a place of worship during a celebration of life is especially heartbreaking.”