When I heard the name Elder Talapa, my heart almost dropped to the floor. I immediately called Alethea to tell her the news because she's home in Hawaii, Alethea was freaking out. Lem is our cousin but because we were raised together we call each other brother & sister.
It was a good thing that Lem wasn't hurt but still sad that Elder Parks was the one that was shot in the arm. Below is the story from ksl.com.
Please leave these LDS missionaries alone, all they are trying to do is save every lost soul. And they're not just MISSIONARIES, they are someone's son or brother or uncle! THINK ABOUT IT!
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By Marc Giauque and Sandra Yi
Police are looking for a man who opened fire on two missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints right here in Salt Lake City.
A bullet grazed one missionary, but he wasn't seriously hurt and he did not immediately report the shooting.
The missionaries, identified by the Church only as Elder Parks and Elder Talapa, were walking near 1700 South and West Temple Saturday night and throwing snowballs at each other. One of the missionaries took off his coat to shake off the snow. Police say that's when someone came out of nowhere and opened fire.
One of the missionaries was hurt. "He felt pain and realized he had been hit, he had been grazed by a bullet on his right arm. They didn't see where he (the shooter) went after it happened, or where he came from before it happened," said Sgt. Robin Snyder, spokeswoman for the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Police don't know if the shooter targeted the missionaries or if they were caught in the crossfire of another situation. "We're not sure of the motive because the suspect didn't say anything before or after the shooting," Snyder said.
But the 19-year-old victim didn't report it to police right away. "He said that he didn't want to alarm his family, especially his mother," Snyder said.
The victim came forward yesterday four days after the shooting, making it difficult for police to collect evidence.
Church spokesman Scott Trotter released a statement saying, they "are very grateful that neither young man was seriously hurt. We have no idea what motive there would be for an incident such as this. The safety and well-being of missionaries is always a top priority for the Church and the missionaries have been moved as a precaution."
Police know it could have been worse. "He's very lucky. It's potentially a tragic situation. If he would have been to one side -- a couple feet, 1 foot -- he may not be with us today," Snyder said.
The missionary who was hurt did not go to the hospital. Police say the injury was like a superficial cut.
We don't know where the missionaries are from, only that they are not from Utah.
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