A ninth-grade student from Canyon View Junior High School died Wednesday, September 24, 2025, after bringing a gun on a school field trip to South Fork Park in Provo Canyon, Utah, and suffering what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound in front of classmates.
The Utah County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident at the park, where the student was airlifted to a local hospital. Despite medical efforts, the student succumbed to their injuries, according to officials.
The incident occurred during a field trip organized by Canyon View Junior High in the Alpine School District. No other students or staff members were injured during the incident, though some witnessed the shooting, authorities confirmed.
District officials from the Alpine School District confirmed the student had brought a loaded gun on the field trip. Rich Stowell, a spokesperson for the district, indicated that it remains unclear how the student obtained the firearm. The circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation by detectives with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
Students who heard the gunshot reported being shocked and scared by the incident. A group of ninth-grade students later erected a memorial outside the school in memory of their deceased classmate. These students, who declined to speak on camera, described hearing the gunshot and the fear it instilled among those present.
The Alpine School District moved quickly to address the immediate needs of students and staff affected by the incident. Stowell stated that “the immediate priority is to help to make sure the students who attend school tomorrow are taken care of.”
Counseling resources were made available at the school and will remain in place as long as students need them. The district also planned to share additional resources with the school community to help process the traumatic event.
District officials emphasized their collaborative approach to managing the crisis. They indicated they are working with law enforcement, medical personnel and counseling experts to navigate the situation. The district’s statement acknowledged the difficulty of the circumstances while focusing on supporting affected students and staff.
Classes at Canyon View Junior High continued as scheduled on Thursday and Friday following the incident. However, the school canceled parent-teacher conferences that had been originally scheduled for Thursday in response to the situation.
The student’s parents were quickly notified of the incident, according to the sheriff’s office. Officials have not released the student’s identity and have provided limited details about the investigation, citing its ongoing nature.
A spokesperson for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office indicated Wednesday evening that no additional information was available at that time due to the active investigation. The circumstances surrounding how and why the student brought the weapon to the field trip remain under examination.
KSL, the original reporting station, noted it does not normally report on suicides but made an exception because the student brought a gun to a school function and fired it in front of other students, elevating the incident to a different level of public concern.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about school safety and student access to firearms. South Fork Park, located in Provo Canyon, is a popular destination for school field trips in the Utah County area.
Amy Walker, a parent in the Alpine School District, expressed her heartbreak over the incident. Her son, Gray Walker, offered condolences and spoke about friends who may have witnessed the event, describing how frightening the experience would be for ninth-grade students who saw it occur.
The shooting represents an unusual occurrence during what should have been a routine educational outing. Field trips are typically considered safe environments where students can learn outside traditional classroom settings, making this incident particularly jarring for the school community.
Authorities continue their investigation into the specific details of how the student obtained the weapon and what led to the fatal shooting. The Utah County Sheriff’s Office has not provided a timeline for when additional information might be released to the public.
