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Five family members, including three young children, were found dead and another was injured with a gunshot wound inside a West Valley City, Utah, home on Tuesday (December 18), local authorities announced via the New York Post.
The casualties included two adults, an 11-year-old boy and two girls ages 9 and 2, while a 17-year-old was identified as the person hospitalized, West Valley City Police Department spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku confirmed, though the cause wasn't immediately clear. All of the people killed were found inside the house, while the injured teenager was located inside the garage.
“Absolutely horrific. This is something that certainly will weigh heavily on investigators in this case,” Vainuku said during a news conference Tuesday night via the New York Post.
Authorities believe the incident was "isolated to this home" and don't think a suspect is on the loose. Vainuku said "there are some challenges in communicating" with the 17-year-old in an effort to find out "more information" because he "is injured and he's in the hospital." A relative called police after unsuccessfully trying to contact a 38-year-old woman who lived in the house, at which point officers went to the home but received no answer.
Police returned the following day after receiving another call from the relative, at which point the 17-year-old was found in the garage. Authorities are investigating inside the home, as well as speaking to neighbors and collecting potential evidence, such as doorbell camera footage, according to Vainuku.