Springville community mourning after two fatal shootings in one week

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — Tragedy hit the small city of Springville again as police continue to investigate a second deadly shooting in a matter of days.

The city does not even average one homicide per year, and now they could be looking at two within less than four days.

“It’s so unusual for Springville. While you may hear about those things in larger cities, it’s very uncharacteristic of Springville,” said Mayor Matt Packard.

For this small town, it’s adding salt to an open wound. Saturday evening, just before 7 p.m., a 42-year-old man was found dead on his front porch, shot in the chest and head. Making this the second shooting just days apart.

The tight-knit Springville community is still grief-stricken from the loss of 17-year-old Lily Conroy, who was shot Wednesday at Hobble Creek Park in what police call an apparent murder-suicide involving her ex-boyfriend.

“It is very emotional for our officers,” said Chief Lance Haight with the Springville Police Department.

Two unrelated tragic scenes in one week. It’s more than some officers have seen throughout their entire careers in Springville.

“It’s a tragic scene that is not easy to get out of your mind, but it’s a noble job that our officers do. They respond with great compassion and professionalism as they work hard to find answers to what is happening,” Haight said.

And with only 33 officers in the department, one particular officer happened to be the first on the scene of both shootings.

“It is difficult for them, so they rely on support from the community and their families,” Haight said. “There have been tremendous acts of service and compassion.”

And as first responders cope with what they’ve seen, they have been overwhelmed with the support from this community. Family, friends, and neighbors come together to bring the light into the darkness.

“They bond together when there are situations like this, and it’s a great reflection of the kind of people we have in the community,” Packard said.

Lily remains on life support as they work to donate her organs.

As for Saturday’s incident, police say hours after the shooting, a 25-year-old man walked into the police department and was later arrested. All we know now is that police believe the two used to be neighbors. Springville police expect to release more information sometime Sunday night.