Alecia Jones, right, with her daughter Brooklyn, 13, places a Mini Mouse stuffed animal by police tape near a home where eight members of a family were killed in Enoch, Iron County, on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023. Brooklyn was friends with one of the victims. (Laura Seitz, Deseret News)
ENOCH, Utah — In the hours since the news broke that an entire family had been found shot to death in their Enoch, Utah home, responses have been pouring in.
Enoch is seven miles from Cedar City, Utah. That city’s government says it is “heartbroken” about the news of the deaths and offers a list of community resources, including a Crisis Intervention Team for Iron County School District students and parents.
Cedar City government also offers resources for students at Southern Utah University. This includes student mental health resources and counseling and psychological services.
The White House has also issued a statement on the shooting in Enoch. Read the statement below:
“The President and First Lady are mourning with the Enoch City, Utah community in the wake of a tragic shooting that has reportedly claimed the lives of five children and multiple adults in their family home.
Too many Americans have lost loved ones or had their lives forever changed due to gun violence, and gun violence remains the leading cause of death for children in America. Less than one month after we marked 10 years since the Sandy Hook tragedy, another mass shooting has claimed the lives of five more children in Enoch City.
President Biden has taken historic executive action to reduce gun violence, including actions to promote safe storage of firearms and prevent suicide. Last summer, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — the first significant piece of gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. This Act helps communities implement new tools to reduce gun violence, including extreme risk protection orders to temporarily remove firearms from people determined to be a danger to themselves or others. The President believes there is more to be done to keep our homes, schools and communities safe, including enacting an assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban to get weapons of war off our streets, requiring safe storage of firearms, and closing the dating violence restraining order loophole in our gun background check system.”
Along with this, the Utah Attorney General’s office says its thoughts and prayers are with the city of Enoch.
In the statement, Attorney General Sean D. Reyes calls the shooting “horrific.”
“My family is praying for everyone affected, including Mayor Chestnut, law enforcement and other responders who have been handling this heartbreaking case at the scene and beyond,” the statement reads.
Reyes says his team spoke with Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter offering any support or resources the town may need. The statement says they are staying “in touch.”
The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition (UDVC) says because Enoch is a smaller community, it is affected differently by a domestic violence fatality.
“Approximately 20% of Americans live in rural communities, and homicides in rural communities are three times as likely to involve an intimate partner than in large cities,” the statement reads. “In addition, the connections between all those directly involved when domestic violence occurs in smaller communities can be profound and overlapping.”
UDVC wants everyone affected by domestic violence to know that support is available. It says those living near Enoch or Cedar City can contact Canyon Creek Services at 1-435-233-57. Individuals in other areas may call UDVC’s confidential hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). This hotline operates 24 hours a day.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship there is help available here in Utah and nationwide.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-TALK) or the Huntsman Mental Health Institute (1-801-583-2500).