WPBN: At the end of the day on Tuesday, authorities in Utah announced that they had been granted a search warrant for a residence in West Valley City. The residence was the location where the remains of five family members who had been shot to death before the adolescent was discovered earlier in the day.
There was a lack of clarity over the circumstances surrounding the killings early on Wednesday morning.
The authorities had previously stated that they would have a better understanding of the crime if they were granted permission to investigate the property located in the 3700 block of Oxford Way in West Valley City, which is a suburb of Salt Lake City.
Roxeanne Vainuku, a spokesperson for the West Valley City Police Department, delivered the following statement during a news conference held on Tuesday evening: “Once we are able to get inside the house and take a deep look into everything, we believe that it will probably provide a lot more information.”
It was on Tuesday afternoon that a worried family member found the injured 17-year-old boy in the garage of the house, which ultimately led to the discovery of the five deaths. From the information that has been gathered so far, it appears that all of them belong to the same family and that they resided in there.
The victims who passed away have been named as a guy who was 42 years old, a woman who was 38 years old, a boy who was 11 years old, a girl who was 9 years old, and a daughter who was 2 years old.
Authorities stated that each of them had been killed by gunfire.
Following what appears to be a gunshot wound, the 17-year-old has been admitted to the hospital. According to Vainuku, the authorities have had a tough time talking with him because of the severity of this individual’s injuries.
“We do not know at this point if he is a suspect in this case or a victim in this case,” she stated.
There were several unanswered questions, including the precise time of the incident. After failing to get in touch with the woman who lived at the house for a while, the family member who had found the scene had been worried.
During the press conference, Vainuku informed reporters that she first called the police on Monday night.
Despite being sent to the house, police were unable to speak with anyone inside. The cops advised the worried family member to keep in contact after determining there was no emergency.
When the woman who lived there did not come to work the following day, the family member went back to the residence. The 17-year-old youngster was hurt when the family member entered the house through the garage.
16-Year-Old Arrested for Killing Four Family Members in New Mexico House
According to Vainuku, investigators had to wait for a search warrant in order to enter the property and collect evidence after recovering the deceased, making sure no suspects were present, and transferring the injured to the hospital.
Officers were searching the neighborhood and speaking with locals who might know something about the crime before the warrant was issued, she said.
According to Vainuku, officers think this shooting is an isolated event even though not much information about the crime has been made public.
“We do not believe there is a suspect on the loose,” she stated.
