Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Three individuals were arrested in connection with a teen's fatal shooting near Cedar City.
- The 17-year-old victim was pursued and shot by an unknown driver, causing her death.
- Authorities seek public assistance and surveillance footage to aid the ongoing investigation.
CEDAR CITY — Three people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the death of a 17-year-old girl, according to Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter.
The teen was driving a red truck Friday night on a stretch of road northwest of Cedar City when she was pursued then shot and killed by an unknown driver, according to a news release from the Iron County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff said the three people were arrested mid-day on Saturday.
No arrest affidavits have been filed yet.
Dispatchers received a report of gunfire aimed at a vehicle at about 10:42 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.
Law enforcement and first responders found the teenage girl in a red truck at the intersection of Midvalley Road and 4300 West, the release says. Life-saving measures were administered, but she died of her injuries while being prepared for transport to Cedar City Hospital, according to Mitchell. The girl's identity has not yet been released.
"Preliminary investigations reveal that the victim's vehicle was being pursued by an unknown assailant's vehicle for several miles," the release says. Police believe the assailant pulled alongside the girl's truck and opened fire, striking her and causing her to lose control.
The truck swerved off the road, crashed through a vinyl fence and came to rest around 100 feet northwest of the intersection.
Investigators are asking the public to contact them with any information. The sheriff's office says anyone who saw a small red pickup truck being closely followed by a dark-colored truck or SUV on Lund Highway Friday night, specifically between 1600 North and Midvalley Road, or heading west on Midvalley Road toward the Three Peaks Campground area, to call dispatch.
Any businesses or homes along the road that may have captured surveillance footage should also contact dispatch, as the video could be extremely useful to the investigation, according to the release.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of the young woman who lost her life during this tragic act of violence," the release says.
The Iron County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 435-867-7500 and the Cedar Dispatch non-emergency number is 435-586-9445.
