OGDEN — The Ogden Police Department is awaiting completion of an internal report into a deadly Jan. 4 shootout that killed an officer and wounded five others.
As standard operating procedure, a shooting review panel made up of two OPD lieutenants and a sergeant is painstakingly reviewing the incident to determine if officers involved followed department policies, said Interim Police Chief Wayne Tarwater.
“I don’t want it to be rushed,” said Tarwater, adding he expects the final report to be thorough.
The shooting review panel will examine evidence, interview officers and complete other tasks, he said.
No time frame has been established for finishing the report.
When asked by reporters at a Wednesday news conference about the officers’ discharge of weapons in the shootout, Weber County Attorney Dee Smith said reviews by his office have found no problems.
“There are no legal concerns there,” he said.
Smith declined to elaborate on details of the shootout.
“I’m not going to get into the details of the incident, as all of you know by the numerous phone calls I’ve ignored from you the last two months.”
The shootout occurred when members of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force attempted to serve a knock-and-enter search warrant at the home of Matthew David Stewart, 3268 Jackson St.
Ogden Police Officer Jared Francom, who was assigned to the strike force, was killed in the shootout.
Strike force agents Shawn Grogan and Kasey Burrell, both of the Ogden Police Department; Sgt. Nate Hutchinson, of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office; and Jason Vanderwarf, of the Roy Police Department, were wounded.
Ogden Officer Michael Rounkles also was wounded when he tried to help the injured strike force agents.
Stewart, who was shot multiple times during the incident, has been charged with aggravated murder, seven counts of attempted aggravated murder, a dangerous weapon penalty enhancement and production of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone.
Sixteen marijuana plants were found inside Stewart’s house, prosecutors say.
The quantity of marijuana is disclosed in a complaint filed by the Weber County Attorney’s Office that seeks to seize Stewart’s home. The home should be forfeited to the state because it was used to facilitate distribution of a controlled substance, the complaint says.
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