Utah

Utah man massacred family, including five children, after divorce petition

Reuters reports the massacre on Wednesday (local time) has stunned the close-knit community of Enoch City in southwestern Utah, where both the mayor and the city manager said they knew the Haight family as neighbours.

After reporting the shooting with scant details, city officials called a news conference on Thursday and identified the shooter as Michael Haight, the father of the five children he killed.

Haight also shot dead his wife, Tausha Haight, 40, and her mother, Gail Earl, 78.

Metal monolith found by helicopter crew in Utah desert

Wildlife officials spotted the "unusual" object while counting sheep during a flyover in a remote south-eastern area of the US state.

They said the structure had been planted in the ground between red rock.

There was no indication who installed the monolith, which was about 10 to 12ft (3.6m) tall.

In an interview with local news channel KSLTV, the helicopter pilot, Bret Hutchings, said: "That's been about the strangest thing that I've come across out there in all my years of flying."

Closure of Utah health clinics endangers Pacific Islanders

Jacob Fitisemanu has been managing the Health Clinics of Utah, which are being shut down by the government as its finances are battered by the virus.

He said the clinics were for the under-served, those without health insurance or who faced other barriers.

Pacific Islanders were contracting Covid-19 at four times the overall rate in Utah and Mr Fitisemanu said cutting clinic access in the midst of a pandemic was not a good decision.

It would meant 13,000 active patients would have to find a new medical home, he said.

Utah Pacific Islanders called on to do more to combat Covid-19

There are about 30,000 Pacific islanders in Utah, and there has so far been about 1,200 cases and 13 deaths from the coronavirus among them.

Jake Fitisemanu, of the Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition, said his organisation had been working hard to get the community to make use of available resources.

He said it had been working with the media, churches, and Pasifika officials in the governor's office.

COVID cases surge among Pacific Islanders in Utah

The state is home to the largest Pacific Island community on the United States mainland - it is made up mostly of Polynesians but also includes a significant number of Micronesians.

As of the middle of this week there have been 1248 Pacific Islanders in Utah reported as affected by the virus, a rate 2.5 times higher than the state average.

Of those cases, 170 have come in the past week with 20 people hospitalised. Thirteen Pacific Islanders have died of COVID-19 in Utah to date.

Five-year-old caught driving parents' car in Utah

Five-year-old Adrian took the family car, and was only caught when police in Utah state stopped him on the freeway.

A patrolman spotted the SUV weaving across lanes at 30mph (50km/h), and issued a traffic stop, duly obeyed by the driver.

He was shocked to discover the child behind the wheel, who said he was on his way to buy a Lamborghini.

The boy told police that he had left home after his mother refused to buy him the luxury vehicle - lower-priced models cost over $180,000 (£144,000) - which sparked an argument.

Tongan in custody on homicide charges

According to a press release issued by Bountiful Police Wednesday, police responded to a residence near 1400 East Lakeview Drive Sunday.

A family member who had not seen their loved one in several days found 50-year-old Rand Hatch deceased. Police say there was evidence to indicate trauma and noted Hatch’s vehicle had been stolen from the residence.

The investigation led police to 22-year-old Taniela Siale Lopiseni Salakielu, who was identified as a person of interest. After interviewing Salakielu, police say the man admitted to arguing with Hatch at Hatch’s residence.

Man on the run after stabbing father and sister

At approximately 10:13 p.m. Friday, Sione Vaitai, 26, was engaged in a dispute with family members at Mount View Drive in Sandy, Sandy police said.

During the dispute, Vaitai obtained a large knife and assaulted his father and juvenile sister, police said.

Local media report officers responded to the home but Vaitai had already fled the scene. The two victims were transported to local hospitals in critical condition.

Police have not been able to locate Vaitai, who is described as a male Polynesian, 6-feet tall and 300 pounds with dark hair.

Driver who caused death of Tongan pregnant mum in Utah charged

Nephi Adelino Makaya, 26, was charged in 3rd District Court with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and driving on a revoked license, a class C misdemeanor.

He was cited for not having proof of insurance and not having his vehicle registered, said Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Sandi Johnson.

After the July 25 2016 crash, Makaya’s blood tested positive for methamphetamine and marijuana, according to charging documents.

'I did not want him to die that day,' says Heneli Kaufusi who killed wife's ex-husband

He was only trying to protect his family.

"Never meant for him to die that day," he told a Utah court on Wednesday. "I did not want him to die that day."

But while Morris conceded that the original fight may have been a case of self-defense, there came a point when it went well beyond that. And because of that, there are consequences that Kaufusi will have to face for his actions.

"I agree with everyone who said this was a tragedy, and I agree that whatever I do, there are no winners. There are only losers today," the judge said before handing down his sentence.