Reflecting on Tragedy: BYU-Idaho students react to shooting at LDS church in Salt Lake

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) – Following the tragic shooting at the LDS meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, students at Brigham Young University-Idaho shared their reactions to the devastating news.

“Something so tragic as a shooting like this is very upsetting and very sad for not only the people of Utah, but also for people around the world,” said Tessa Crapo, a student from Washington.

Sterling Jarvis had been in Utah’s capital on Wednesday.

“I was pretty like shocked when I heard about it. My fiance and I actually just traveled from Salt Lake, like, literally yesterday, so we, like, had perfect luck. I mean, we weren't going to a church house or anything, but it was just pretty freaky that we were just right there,” Jarvis said. “It's always, like, an awful thing to … like, violence is never okay. That was just super tragic.”

Mary Beth Jarman, a senior at the university, had a relative who was present at another church shooting in Grand Blanc, Michigan.

“It just makes me kind of upset because those are sacred places, and those are places that a lot of people come to worship,” Jarman said. “It's a community, and so there really isn't any right for any individuals to come in and try and disrupt that.”

Salt Lake City police have confirmed that the shooting was not a hate crime, and the students shared their hopes for healing in spite of the attack.

“I don't know if it's, like, targeted or something like that, but, you know, there'll always be people that want to tear down things that are good,” said Miles Miller.

The students expressed confidence and optimism that despite the tragedy, they will move forward with their lives and continue to make a positive difference in the world.

“This is completely wrong, and we need to start taking action because if it was my brother, I would take action,” said BYU-Idaho student Hyrum Earl. “I would say, ‘Hey, I need to start doing something now to help this not ever happen again.’”