ENOCH, Utah – In the days leading up to the murder-suicide that took place in Utah, the man who was responsible for the deaths of his five children, mother-in-law, and wife, as well as himself, took the guns that he and his wife owned, leaving the family “vulnerable,” according to a relative who spoke out on Friday.
Jennie Earl, the wife’s sister-in-law, told the Associated Press that Tausha Haight told her extended family that her husband, Mike Haight, took the guns from the family home this week, just two weeks after the wife had filed for divorce. The wife’s name is Haight, and she is the one who told her family that her husband took the guns.
She stated that she did not know how Tausha Haight felt about the removal, but she did say that it “left the family vulnerable.” She made note of the fact that both Tausha and her mother, Gail Earl, were trained in gun safety and personal protection. She said that she did not know how Tausha Haight felt about the removal.
Jennie Earl made her remarks after the Earl family had previously released a statement in which they expressed their sorrow over the tragedy and disclosed that the guns had been taken.
The Earl family released a statement that read, “Protective arms were purposefully removed from the home before the occurrence because all adults were properly trained to protect human life.” The statement was made in response to the question of why protective arms had been removed. When protective arms are no longer available, “this is the type of loss that will continue to occur in families, communities, and this nation.”
Rob Dotson, the city manager of Enoch, claimed in an email statement that the police “has never had reason and has never had to remove firearms.” He said this to support his assertion that local law enforcement was not engaged.
After Tausha Haight had filed for divorce from her spouse of 19 years on December 21, this revelation provides greater insight into what transpired in the days preceding the shooting in a southern Utah house. The incident occurred after Tausha Haight had filed for divorce.
According to city officials in Enoch, a tiny hamlet with a population of approximately 8,000 people located approximately 245 miles (394 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City, the victims were discovered on Wednesday when police conducted a welfare check at the property.
It is not obvious whether having those firearms in the residence could have helped stop the violence, according to Jennie Earl. This is because Jennie Earl does not know the details regarding how the shootings happened. She stated that if Tausha Haight or Gail Earl had been allowed to protect their family, they would have been able to use the firearms that were available to them.
She stated that “they could have because they have the skills to accomplish it” while referring to the group. The attorney who is representing Michael Haight’s family, Matt Munson, did not answer inquiries concerning the firearms that were found in the residence. However, he did release a statement on behalf of his clients grieving the loss of the family and offering sympathies to the Earls.
The information that the guns had been taken away was disclosed by the family in a statement that was released on Friday. In the same statement, the family expressed their sorrow over the “unthinkable tragedy” and asked the public and the media to refrain from using the shooting to “advocate for political agendas.”
“We would encourage reporting about the value of all human life, the great works of God that can render a forgiving heart, how religion can heal and enlarge our capacity for love, and a return to foundational principles of peace within our nation,” the Earl family wrote. “We would encourage reporting about the value of all human life, the great works of God that can render a forgiving heart.”
Officials from Enoch have stated that they are aware of the divorce petition, but they are unsure as to whether or not it played a role in the deaths. This week, Enoch Police Chief Jackson Ames also stated that officers investigated the 42-year-old male and his family “a couple of years prior,” implying that there may have been earlier issues within the household. However, he did not provide any other details about the investigation.
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