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- Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old girl near Cedar City.
- The victim was in a red truck with a friend when another vehicle pursued and fired at them.
- Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter urges the public to provide information or surveillance footage to aid the investigation.
CEDAR CITY — Four people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the shooting death of a 17-year-old girl Friday night, according to Iron County investigators.
Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter said the teen and a friend were in a red truck, driving along a stretch of road northwest of Cedar City, and were followed by another vehicle. About 10:42 p.m., he said the second vehicle pulled up alongside the teens and started firing.
"Preliminary investigations reveal that the victim's vehicle was being pursued by an unknown assailant's vehicle for several miles," a news release from the sheriff's office says. Investigators 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 of Midvalley Road and 4300 West.
The passenger received a leg injury, Carpenter said, but it's so far unclear how she sustained that injury. He said the passenger was able to call 911.
Life-saving measures were administered to the teen driver but she died of her injuries while being prepared for transport to Cedar City Hospital, the release says. The girl's identity was not released Saturday.
"Our hearts go out to the families of these two young ladies. They weren't doing anything. They were just being teenagers having fun, and someone violently attacked them and ended their life for no apparent reason at this point," Carpenter said, emotion in his voice. "We are dedicated to finding them. We are coming after them and we will hold them accountable when we find them."
Carpenter did not share any further information about the four people arrested nor a possible motive for the shooting.
Investigators are asking the public to contact them with any information on the shooting. 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.
The Iron County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 435-867-7500 and the Cedar Dispatch non-emergency number is 435-586-9445.
Contributing: Marc Weaver
