Gunfire reported at Davis County theater were illegal fireworks, police say

LAYTON — A movie theater was evacuated Saturday after moviegoers inside reported hearing gunshots to police. After concluding an investigation, police said there was a group of young people who lit prohibited fireworks outside the theater.

Police are still searching for the suspects who lit the fireworks, and said they cannot confirm their ages.

At approximately 9:25 p.m. Saturday, 911 calls were made from people inside the AMC Layton Hills 9 theater, according to the Layton City Police Department’s public information officer, Lt. Travis Lyman. He said multiple people in different theater rooms inside heard the blasts and reported them to police.

Evacuations took place and a strong police presence arrived in “an abundance of caution,” in case the situation turned out to be an active shooter, he said.

Witnesses outside told officers they had seen the group of young people lighting fireworks and there were casings found on the north side of the building. It was not specified what kind of fireworks they were.

Lyman said police are still searching for the people involved in lighting the fireworks, and said depending on multiple factors, they could face citations or charges. In the state of Utah, fireworks are only permitted at certain times during the year.

He urged anyone in a similar situation to do the same as the moviegoers who called police, even though the resources were not met with a dangerous emergency in this situation.

“Anybody who found themselves in a situation like that should not just assume that someone else will call the police,” he said. “I’d encourage anybody who thinks that there’s something going on to call. Don’t be afraid; don’t assume other people are going to do it.”