A 66-year-old Long Beach man drove more than 700 miles to Ogden, Utah, where he fatally shot his brother and set fire to his home before killing himself in a shootout with police, officials said. .
On the evening of April 27, Jeffrey Roberts, a burly man with a white goatee, arrived at the home of his brother, retired forestry professor Scott Roberts, in a brown van, authorities said. said.
Police said Jeffrey Roberts was armed with a 9mm handgun and a total of 23 loaded magazines, which police later photographed at the scene.
Scott Roberts and his wife, Jodi, were having dinner alone when Jeffrey Roberts rang the doorbell, according to the Weber County attorney’s office.
In the video captured by the doorbell camera at the front of the house, Jeffrey calmly tells his brother that he is visiting their mother. After Scott said their mother wasn’t there, Jeffrey pulled out a gun and started shooting as he entered the house.
Minutes later, Jeffrey exited the house and quickly returned, carrying a 12-caliber shotgun and a brown duffel bag, panting, the video showed.
Police were notified of the incident via a 911 call from a neighbor who heard gunshots coming from the house. Jeffrey Roberts began opening fire on the officers as soon as they arrived, according to the Weber County attorney’s office.
A total of five officers were on the scene and three returned fire, officials said. Jeffrey Roberts was killed in the shooting from a head wound.
Authorities said in video from one of the officer’s body-worn cameras, thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the house – the aftermath of a fire in which Jeffrey started using flares on the street. .
Police officials later declared Scott Roberts dead from a gunshot wound. Scott’s wife was also shot and is being treated for her injuries.
“My mom is alive because my dad fought with my uncle and told her to run away,” Kelsey Turner, daughter of Scott Roberts, wrote on her personal page. GoFundMe page isolation for her mother. “Knowing that my father died as a hero brings us some solace.”
Turner, who describes Jeffrey Roberts as her father’s “estranged brother,” said the GoFundMe page was to help her mother buy essentials, as she had no clothes or personal items left because of the fire. “We were able to recover some things from the house but were told most of the house was destroyed,” she wrote.
Dozens of former students, friends and colleagues of Scott Roberts have shared their condolences on the site, describing him as an intellectual, warm and funny person.
“Scott, your knowledge and wisdom are extraordinary but your sense of humour is limitless. You will be missed by a lot of people,” wrote one well-wisher.
An investigation by the Weber County Force Investigative Team is ongoing.
