The 8-month-old baby killed in Sunday’s mass shooting in Utah has been identified as Anderson Garcia Cabrera Jr.
The Garcia family says they are “devastated” over the baby’s death
Local police say the shooting occurred after officers tried to break up a fight between two groups, leading officers to exchange gunfire with a 16-year-old later arrested at the scene
A grieving Utah family says they’re “devastated” after their 8-month-old baby was killed in a mass shooting Sunday, which came as officers exchanged gunfire with a teenager at a local festival.
West Valley City police told PEOPLE on Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing, as parents Anderson and Mehili Garcia mourned their son Anderson Garcia Cabrera Jr.’s death in a GoFundMe post online.
“We are devastated and struggling to process this unimaginable loss,” the Garcias said. “Our greatest wish is to return our beautiful son to Guatemala, so he can rest in peace surrounded by our family and loved ones.”
The family said Anderson Jr. was one of two twin boys. The other child did not appear to be injured in the shooting.
The Garcias said Sunday night “was meant to be a joyful Father’s Day celebration at the West Fest Carnival” but instead it “became the most heartbreaking night of our lives.”
“Our precious 8-month-old baby was tragically taken from us in the crossfire of senseless gun violence,” the family added.
The family has raised more than $46,000 as of Tuesday afternoon. Anderson told local Fox 13 that Anderson Jr. was “a happy baby.”
“I’ve never seen one like him,” the grieving father said.
Local West Valley City police said Sunday an 18-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were also killed in the shooting, which took place during WestFest, an annual arts and culture festival in Utah. Two other individuals were wounded during the shooting as well, police said.
The police department said officers tried to break up an argument between two groups of people when gunshots rang out. The West Valley City Police Department said a 16-year-old boy who was later arrested is believed to be the one who pulled out a gun and fired at the other group. Police said its officers fired back but did not hit the suspect.
The 18-year-old who died in the shooting is believed to be the 16-year-old boy’s alleged target, according to police, who said the other victims were innocent bystanders.
A spokesperson with the West Valley City Police Department told PEOPLE on Tuesday that the department will not identify the suspect because he is a juvenile. The boy has been booked into a juvenile detention facility on three counts of homicide, police said.
Asked whether authorities believe any of the victims were hit by shots fired by police, spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku said “there is a full investigation into this incident underway, and we can be assured that all of the facts surrounding this case will be known.”
“What I can tell you right now is that the people who were shot were all toward the east side of the festival, and in line with the direction in which the suspect was firing,” the spokesperson said. “There was one shot fired by an officer, which appears to have been fired toward the south, toward the suspect who had a large stationary backdrop behind him.”
Vainuku added that the department was “heartbroken” over the incident. “What should have been a joyful night of community celebration ended in unimaginable tragedy,” the spokeswoman said. “We mourn the lives lost and stand in deep sorrow with the families whose worlds have been forever changed.”
City officials also spoke out about the incident with statements this week.
“The violence and deaths at the WestFest celebration in West Valley are tragic,” Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said in a statement blaming “youth violence.”
“I am so deeply saddened by the loss of life, especially that of an innocent bystander and an infant,” the mayor added. “My thoughts are with all who were onsite and impacted by this tragedy and the families of those who lost their lives.”
