3 killed, 2 injured in shooting at West Valley City carnival
Jun 15, 2025, 10:20 PM | Updated: Jun 16, 2025, 3:32 pm
West Fest in West Valley City where 3 people were killed including a young child on Sunday, June 16, 2025. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
WEST VALLEY CITY — Three people, including an eight-month-old infant, were killed in a shooting that occurred at a carnival Sunday night, according to the West Valley City Police Department.
In total, police said five people were struck by gunfire; some of them multiple times.
According to the WVCPD, the shooting happened on the final night of the WestFest Carnival at Centennial Park.
According to the WVCPD, the shooting happened on the final night of the WestFest Carnival at Centennial Park.
In a press conference on Monday, Roxeanne Vainuku with the WVCPD said a 16-year-old began shooting around 9:15 p.m. His target appeared to be an 18-year-old man, identified as Hassan Lugundi of West Valley. Lugundi was shot and died on scene.
Several other bystanders were also hit during the shooting.
Forty-one-year-old Fnu Reena of West Jordan and an 8-month-old baby boy were also shot and later pronounced dead at the hospital. Vainuku said Reena and the baby were not related.
A 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl were both shot in the arm and hospitalized but have since been released.
A pregnant woman was also injured when attempting to climb a fence to get away.
Vainuku said several officers witnessed the shooting and one officer shot their gun at the 16-year-old suspect. The shot did not hit the teen, however.
Because the shooting happened so close to police, Vainuku said they were able to take the suspect into custody “within seconds.”
The 16-year-old was taken into juvenile detention and stands accused of homicide.
The suspect, the teens who were injured and the baby who was killed will not be identified because they are underage, Vainuku said.
Shot fired by officer complicates case
Vainuku said that because an officer shot their weapon, the case must be investigated by an outside agency as part of Salt Lake County’s Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigative Protocol.
The protocol means the WVCPD will not have access to the involved officers’ statements until an investigation is done.
“We are not privy to the involved officials’ statements … There are simply details we will not know until the investigation is complete,” Vainuku said.
The Salt Lake City Police Department will handle the investigation into officer-involved shooting.
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