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SALT LAKE CITY — One man was shot and killed in a downtown street Saturday afternoon in a fight involving several people who had just left a sneaker convention at the Salt Palace Convention Center, police said.
The shooting occurred shortly after 3:15 p.m. in the middle of West Temple and 150 South. Police were still looking for suspects Saturday night.
Police received multiple 911 calls, initially sending police to 100 S. State, and when nothing out of the ordinary was happening there, they were directed a few blocks west toward West Temple, said Salt Lake police spokesman Brent Weisberg.
When officers arrived, one man was on the ground with critical injuries and bystanders were giving him first aid. Officers then began to give first aid until crews from Gold Cross Ambulance and Salt Lake fire arrived to take the person to the hospital. The man was later pronounced dead. No other information has been released about the victim.
"This does not appear to be a random shooting. Based on the preliminary investigation, there was a fight between the victim and several people before the shooting as they left the convention center," police said in a statement.
"Obviously this was a very traumatic scene, something happening, out during the middle of the afternoon," Weisberg said.
Sneaker Con, which made its Salt Lake City debut on Saturday, was underway at the Salt Palace when the shooting took place outside. The sneaker showcase and sales event brought thousands of people to the area.
Police believe several people leaving the convention got into a fight that turned deadly.
"We believe there was some sort of fight involving multiple people who had just left the convention center," Weisberg told KSL-TV.
Witnesses told police the shooter and at least one other person ran into a nearby parking garage after the shooting and left in a car. Police did not immediately have a description of the car. Officers said they checked nearby businesses and parking garages looking for any potential threats or victims.
Jazmin Taula told KSL-TV she was leaving Sneaker Con on Saturday when she witnessed a chaotic scene. Emergency responders were already on the scene.
"They were doing CPR," she said. "You could see that he was not responding."
"I had looked across the street, and he actually had his brother there. His brother was crying, trying to explain to the police what happened," Taula said.
"We have devoted many resources to this investigation. What happened today does not represent downtown or our great city," Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said in a prepared statement. "Our police officers did a remarkable job during a chaotic and quickly unfolding event. They showed compassion and helped people who found themselves in a very stressful situation. I'm proud of our officers."
Salt Lake police were asking anyone with information about what happened Saturday afternoon to call 801-799-3000. Weisberg said they believe multiple community members may have photos or videos of the incident, and police would like to view those immediately.
Weisberg said a significant number of resources, including multiple violent crimes and homicide detectives, are investigating. Other agencies throughout the valley are also being asked to help look for the people who police believe fled the scene after the shooting.
Weisberg thanked members of the community for offering first aid and for giving information to officers about the people believed to have been involved and the vehicle.
"We really appreciate those witnesses who stayed here. That was instrumental to this investigation and we believe that that will likely help significantly with this investigation," he said. "Based on the information that we have so far, we believe that there are likely people in our community who saw this, who know the people involved with this shooting, and we are asking those people to come forward and help us with this investigation."
Weisberg noted that for a homicide to occur in the middle of the day in a busy pedestrian area is unusual and created a dramatic scene.
"I hope it wasn't for a pair of shoes," Taula said. "But you never know, really."
