After a shooting during a “No Kings” protest in Salt Lake City, Utah leaders say they’re thankful for those protesters who remained peaceful and for the first responders to rushed to the scene.
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After a shooting left one person “critically injured” during a “No Kings” protest in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah leaders say they’re thankful for those protesters who remained peaceful and for the first responders who rushed to the scene Saturday night.
Police say they have arrested several people and another is “critically injured” after the shooting, which happened while thousands of marchers made their way across downtown during one of more than a dozen “No Kings” protests across the state on Saturday.
[Read the latest on the shooting in Saturday’s protest in downtown Salt Lake City.]
“The violence we’ve seen today in Salt Lake City and elsewhere in the country is horrific — it’s just not who we are,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said on social media. “We deserve to feel safe, especially when exercising our First Amendment rights.”
The capital city mayor also expressed her appreciation for the Salt Lake City Police Department and its “quick action tonight to protect lives and support those marching peacefully.”
“My heart is with you, SLC,” she added. “We’ll get through this.”
Gov. Spencer Cox called the shooting “a deeply troubling act of violence and has no place in our public square.”
Later, Cox said he’d spoken with Mendenhall and that he was heartbroken for those impacted by the shooting:
“Thank you to the thousands of protesters who exercised their constitutional rights in the right way tonight,” Cox added. “I’m grateful to security, SLCPD, DPS, and medical personnel who jumped into action to protect lives.”
Utah Attorney General Derek Brown also said, “Violence has no place here in Utah.”
“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the shooting at today’s protest,” Brown added, “and I appreciate law enforcement’s quick response.”
In a statement shared on social media, the Salt Lake City Council said the thousands of people peacefully marching downtown “reflects the heart of our city.”
“It’s especially painful that such a meaningful and peaceful moment was followed by an act of violence,” the council said. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and extend our heartfelt condolences to the victim, their family and everyone affected.”
“Salt Lake City is a place where people care deeply, show up for each other and speak out for what they believe in,” the council added. “Violence has no place here — and it will never define who we are.”
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said, “Tragically, this is my second statement today expressing sadness and concern regarding gun violence.”
Wilson was referring to the assassination of Minnesota Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were shot and killed in their home early Saturday. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot multiple times in their nearby home.
“I’m deeply troubled that a peaceful protest in Salt Lake City was disrupted by a shooting as community members were celebrating their right to assemble,” Wilson added in her statement Saturday night. “I am thinking of all who were impacted by this senseless act.”
She added: “Hateful rhetoric, discriminatory practices, and violence is tearing apart our nation and we must continue to work together to create a future that represents a better America.”
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A man lays injured on the street as police respond to a reported shooting during a protest march in Salt Lake City, Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, said he was grateful for law enforcement’s quick response and them “bringing a dangerous situation under control in Salt Lake City.”
“The freedom to organize and participate in peaceful protests is a cornerstone of our great country,” Adams said on social media. “However, violence, destruction and vandalism are unacceptable.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Source: Utah News