Utah Teen Dies Days After Allegedly Being Shot By Ex-Boyfriend In Murder-Suicide

A teenager who had been placed on life support after being shot in an alleged attempted murder-suicide has succumbed to her injuries.

Springville Police received a request to perform a welfare check at 3:15 p.m. on May 18, according to Deseret News, and shortly thereafter found Lily Conroy, 17, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Police said she was found in the front seat of a vehicle at Hobble Creek Park in Springville — less than an hour south of Salt Lake City — and was then airlifted to a local hospital and placed on life support.

Next to her was her ex-boyfriend, Masao Kaanga, 19, who police believe shot Conroy before turning the gun on himself at around 3:30 p.m., Springville Police said. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to CBS Salt Lake City affiliate KUTV, Conroy died on May 21 as a result of her injuries.

Conroy was a junior at Springville High School, where Principal Robert Fleming sent a letter out to students’ parents informing them of Conroy’s tragic passing, according to Deseret News.

“I am writing with great sadness to inform you that one of our Springville High School family, Lily Conroy, has passed away,” said Fleming, “Our thoughts and sympathies are with her family and friends.”

Kaanga, who’d graduated from the same high school in 2021, had no criminal record, police told Fox News.

“We don’t have anything major on him,” said Springville Police Lt. Warren Foster. “From what we understand, he was going to school… there’s nothing there that would raise an eyebrow by any means.”

It was Kaanga’s family who requested that police do a welfare check on the morning of May 18, noting a legally purchased firearm was missing from their home, according to Fox News.

Kaanga had allegedly threatened Conroy the night before the murder-suicide after she reportedly tried to end the relationship, according to Fox Salt Lake City affiliate KSTU-TV. The pair grew up only a few houses from one another on the same Springville street.

Although Conroy was not expected to survive, family members previously announced their wishes to keep Conroy on life support for the purposes of organ donation, according to a statement by the Springville Department of Public Safety obtained by KSL News Radio.

“The family of the victim, Lily Conroy, has received an overwhelming response to their request to donate Lily’s organs to help save the life of another,” per the statement written before Conroy’s passing. “Their request for recipients has been amazing. The calls and requests to be considered [have] been fulfilled. The family feels they have a sufficient list to select from and are no longer taking additional calls for consideration.”

Relatives described the teenager as a restaurant server with a “larger than life” personality and a “faithful member” of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, per her obituary.

“Lily was so full of confidence. How else could you explain her grandma sweaters, giant Army boots, or her crazy skeleton earrings that she often wore?” The family stated. “She lived how she wanted with no inhibitions. Her outward beauty was only matched by her completely authentic personality and her unique sense of humor.”

Loved ones created a GoFundMe page to help with the financial burdens of her medical and funeral expenses. Conroy is survived by her parents and two younger sisters.