Two juveniles shot in Clinton after Heritage Days celebration
Jul 10, 2022, 12:05 PM | Updated: Jul 26, 2022, 4:04 pm
CLINTON, Utah — The Clinton Police Department said investigators are still searching for the people who shot two juveniles after the city’s Heritage Days celebration, near where the event occurred Saturday night.
In a press release, Clinton police said officers responded to reports of a fight and shots fired around 11:50 p.m. at an intersection east of Civic Center Park and Parkside Elementary School.
They believe a fight between two groups escalated into the shooting.
Several neighbors in the area recounted to KSL TV what they heard and saw.
Many had just attended the Heritage Days carnival and fireworks show which capped off the multi-day community event and were settling in their homes when they heard popping noises.
Because the fireworks show had just taken place an hour prior, they wondered if the sounds were fireworks or gunshots.
They’d soon learn it was the latter.
Neighbors each saw bits and pieces of the situation, some looking from their windows and others heading outside.
One woman explained she ran across the street and found what she thought was a teen boy or young man crying out for help, shot in the leg in someone’s front yard. That family’s SUV had a bullet hold in the windshield, near where the boy collapsed.
She called 911, and an ambulance quickly arrived to take him away.
Others said teens were running into nearby backyards, dispersing into the neighborhood. One person who lives in the area said he saw a teen quickly walking down the street.
Stanger explained that because the event had ended an hour before the shooting, many of the police officers working Heritage Days were still on staff and ready to respond. The altercation also took place close to the police station.
“Police were instantly onsite, they took care of any injured, they immediately went to work doing all that they can to find any suspects,” he said. “And I’m just so grateful for their hard work. They were up all night, going through and chasing down any leads.”
Stanger said Heritage Days is Clinton’s largest event, where residents can come out and spend time together to enjoy the community. He had attended the parade Saturday morning, and the fireworks show Saturday night.
He said he’s grateful the shooting didn’t occur during the celebration. Had it been earlier in the night, others would have been walking around in the area.
Clinton Police said both juveniles shot are expected to survive and that while police are still looking for the suspects, they do not believe there is an immediate threat to the public.
