A Utah teen accused of gunning down his mother and another three child victims will reportedly be charged as an adult for allegedly carrying out the nation's first mass shooting in 2020.
Toole County Attorney Scott Broadhead told Fox13 the alleged gunman will be tried in district court � not juvenile court � because those age 16 and over facing aggravated murder or murder charges must be tried as an adult under state law.
As a minor however, the law still shields him from the death penalty.
"Juveniles cannot, are not subjected to capital penalties," Broadhead stated. "So, the maximum penalty for aggravated murder is life without parole."
Official charges have not been filed against the teen, who has not yet been identified.
He's accused of fatally shooting four of his family members and wounding a fifth inside their home over the weekend.
Authorities responded Friday to the residence in Grantsville, a city with a population of just below 12,000 located about 30 miles west of Salt Lake City. When officers arrived on the scene around 7 p.m., they discovered two juvenile girls, one juvenile male and an adult woman dead as well as a fifth, injured man.
The victims were identified as 15-year-old Alexis, 14-year-old Matthew, 12-year-old Maylan and 57-year-old Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, who is reportedly the shooter's mother.
The family patriarch, 50-year-old Colin Haynie, was also injured in the violence but is expected to make a complete recovery.
The quadruple homicide is the first homicide "of this magnitude" to strike the city of Grantsville in 20 years, police Cpl. Rhonda Fields said. It also marks the first mass shooting in 2020, which is defined by the FBI as an incident in which three or more people are killed � not including the shooter.
The young suspect, who was taken into custody shortly after the violent attack, is not speaking with law enforcement. It's not clear what happened in the moments leading up to the deadly shooting nor how the teen got his hands on a firearm.
"The police have told us forensically that they can kind of piece together how things happened, but we don't have anything from (the suspect,)" Broadhead told Fox.
"So we don't know the how, the why, what brought this on, what his mental state is today. There are just a lot of questions and at this point, not a lot of answers."
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert in a tweet on Friday offered his condolences and encouraged gun owners to properly secure their weapons.
"Our hearts are broken by the horrible news coming out of Grantsville tonight. We mourn over the loss of innocent life," he said, adding that federal and state investigators are assisting with the probe.
"Parents and grandparents, secure your firearms! Everyone, hug your loved ones tight. And remember, love not hate, will heal broken individuals and families."
