SALT LAKE CITY, UT – A man has been arrested in connection with a shooting at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints meetinghouse, which took place last week. Ryan Daniel Toutai has been charged with obstruction of justice, which is a second-degree felony.
Toutai told authorities that he took an Uber to the meetinghouse and heard gunshots as he was stepping outside the building. He reportedly saw the victims on the ground after walking out of the building in the aftermath of gunfire.
Police have reason to dispute Toutai’s story and denial of involvement. Multiple witnesses gave descriptions of the shooter that match Toutai’s appearance. In fact, several witnesses identified the suspect as one of the shooters in the altercation that turned deadly last Wednesday (Jan. 7).
Vaea Tulikihihifo and Sione Vatuvei were the two victims who died from gunshot wounds. Six other congregants were injured in the shooting that took place after a funeral at the Rose Park 5th Ward meetinghouse. Tulikihihifo, who leaves behind a wife and 11 kids, was remembered as a selfless individual during a family interview with ABC4.
“He’s the most selfless person you will ever know. If he has nothing, somehow, someway, he’ll give you everything. That’s who Vaea is. That’s who my pops is to me,” Darian Junior Fosho Tulikihihifo, Vaea Tulikihihifo’s oldest son, said.
“He’s someone I lean heavily on. He’s definitely someone I look up to. No matter how imperfect we all are, he’s definitely someone I try to emulate in my life, not only as a man or as a son, but just as a man of God.”
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall vowed not to “rest” until those responsible for last Wednesday’s shooting were brought to justice.
“This should never have happened outside a place of worship,” Mendenhall said during a press conference. “[Investigators] are not going to rest until the individuals responsible are brought to justice,” she promised.
Ryan Daniel Toutai was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on request to be held without bail.