Police reassure the community is safe after shooting at busy Kearns park

KEARNS — The Unified Police Department is calming a community’s worries after gunfire broke out at a busy Kearns park and left one person wounded. The message around safety comes as the search for one of the two shooters continues.

As the sun set on the Labor Day holiday Monday, playtime and family time were still in full swing at Oquirrh Park in Kearns.

Families with strollers and dogs walked down the paths, while kids laughed and shrieked on the playground. A group of boys tossed around a football on the field, while the parents sat under the pavilion, chatting away after having enjoyed a potluck.

David Tongolei was part of that group, saying they were the Kearns 13th Ward, celebrating the holiday together. He explained they’d been planning the party for about a month.

He said he showed up to the park Sunday evening to try to reserve the spot overnight, but found police around the area instead.

Tongolei wasn’t sure the ward picnic would still happen Monday, after they learned there had been a shooting at a party in that same spot they were trying to reserve.

“I think everyone was worried last night,” Tongolei said. “I think there was going to be a lot of us to come hang out, but that kind of changed when we heard about the event that happened last night and the shooting.”

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Unified police said an argument between groups at the party turned into a shooting near the bathroom, next to the pavilion. Police believe one person pulled out a gun and fired shots, leaving a victim wounded. The victim survived.

A second person, police said, returned fire. That person remained at the scene, but UPD said they are still looking for the first shooter.

Sunday night and into Monday morning, Kearns residents and neighbors began expressing worries over safety on social media, considering Oquirrh Park is usually busy.

Neighbor Vinh Ngyen told KSL TV he left the park just before the shooting, and questioned if the area is safe due to other crime concerns on top of the shooting.

“Scary. I don’t think I want to go there right now … if this happened like this,” he said. “I could’ve got shot.”

Chief Levi Hughes of the Kearns precinct heard many of the concerns Monday.

“Yeah, I have. And these cases are always frightening to anybody, especially when they happen near your home,” he said.

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Hughes wanted to reiterate that the shooting was not a crime involving someone perpetrating harm on random people.

“This incident, I believe, is very isolated and it’s very specific to a group of people,” he said.

He talked about how the Kearns precinct uses a “unique patrol model” to combat crime, and that the park is often patrolled because of that.

“Police vehicles are in every neighborhood throughout Kearns, every single day,” Hughes said. “And this model that we utilize has helped us drive crime rates down in Kearns consistently over the past four years.”

Hughes wanted to assure the community that they can confidently visit Oquirrh Park.

“Our parks in Kearns are very safe places to go,” he said.

Hughes added that no matter where someone is, it’s important to be cautious and careful, staying aware of surroundings. He encouraged citizens to reach out to police if they’re feeling unsafe.

Tongolei said they didn’t let the shooting deter them from holding the Labor Day ward party, though at first they weren’t sure what turnout would be like.

In the end, he said they didn’t hear too much concern from families, and everyone was excited to spend the day at Oquirrh Park.

“We had a lot of fun,” Tongolei said. “We had a lot of people, even more than I thought would show up today based on what happened. We had a great event.”