North Ogden man killed in confrontation at home ‘died a hero,’ daughter says
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- The fire-damaged home of Scott and Jodi Roberts in North Ogden is pictured Tuesday, May 2, 2023. According to the couple’s daughter, Kelsey Turner, Scott Roberts was shot and killed by his estranged brother on Thursday, April 27, 2023, and Jodi Roberts was shot but survived. The brother, who police haven’t identified, set fire to the home, Turner claims. He was shot and killed by law enforcement.
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- The flier promoting a vigil scheduled for Saturday, May 6, 2023, in response to the deadly April 27, 2023, incident that left Scott Roberts dead and wife Jodi Roberts injured.
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- The fire-damaged home of Scott and Jodi Roberts in North Ogden is pictured Tuesday, May 2, 2023. According to the couple’s daughter, Kelsey Turner, Scott Roberts was shot and killed by his estranged brother on Thursday, April 27, 2023, and Jodi Roberts was shot but survived. The brother, who police haven’t identified, set fire to the home, Turner claims. He was shot and killed by law enforcement.
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- Two are reportedly dead following an incident Thursday evening, April 27, 2023, at a home at 3233 Mountain Road in North Ogden, according to media reports. The home is pictured here on Friday, April 28, 2023.
The daughter of the man who died Thursday in a dramatic and violent incident at his North Ogden home that left the dwelling torched says her father is a hero.
Kelsey Turner, the daughter of Scott and Jodi Roberts, said in a post on GoFundMe, the fundraising site, that her dad died at the hands of his estranged brother in the incident, but not before he tried to fight off his sibling.
“For those of you who don’t know, my dad’s estranged brother showed up at my parents’ house, killed my dad, and set the house on fire,” Turner wrote in the post. “My mom is alive because my dad fought my uncle and told my mom to run.”
Meantime, a vigil is planned for Saturday in North Ogden as a way of remembering Scott Roberts and as a show of support for Jodi Roberts and other family and friends of the couple. It’s set for 6 p.m. Saturday and will be held at Mountain View Park at 875 E. 3300 North in North Ogden.
“Let’s come together and grieve for Jodi. Let’s come together as a community,” said Heidi Bradley, a neighbor who’s organizing the vigil, working with local leaders and reps from a cross-section of churches. She also aims to honor the North Ogden police officers who initially responded to the incident, preventing it from spiraling further out of control.
Officials have released only limited information about last week’s incident, the focus of an investigation by the Weber/Morgan Homicide Task Force, led by investigators in the Weber County Attorney’s Office. But Turner’s post — meant to help raise funds for her mom — sheds some light on what happened and underscores the tragedy of the incident.
“We have had so many kind messages from family and friends asking what they can do to help so I have set up this GoFundMe to help my mom start rebuilding her life,” wrote Turner, who didn’t immediately respond to a Standard-Examiner query into the matter.
North Ogden police responded to a report of shots fired in the 3200 block of Mountain Road around 7:15 p.m. on Thursday last week, arriving to the Roberts home at 3233 Mountain Road to find it on fire. A male who had confronted the homeowners, the Roberts couple, fired on the North Ogden police officers as they arrived and the officers returned fire, killing the man, Scott Roberts’ brother, though authorities haven’t yet identified him.
Scott Roberts was found inside the home dead, having apparently been shot, while Jodi Roberts, though she suffered a gunshot wound, was still alive. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Officials haven’t stated a possible motive, but Turner’s GoFundMe post hints at apparent issues between her dad and his brother. She lauded her dad’s efforts to fend of his brother. “Knowing that my dad died a hero is bringing us a small bit of comfort,” she wrote.
The Roberts house suffered extensive damage and Turner wrote that her mother has been left without clothing or other personal items due to the fire, hence the fundraising effort. “We will be able to recover some things from the house but have been told most of the house was destroyed,” Turner wrote.
Bradley, who lives around the corner from the Roberts home, recalls the gunfire that evening — “incredibly loud, rattling” — and the fire. She’s been in communication with Turner and is encouraging donations to the GoFundMe initiative she launched. “Smoke was so bad we couldn’t even see the street,” Bradley said.
Bradley’s young daughter was playing outside with neighbor kids only a few houses up from where police confronted Scott Roberts’ brother. “Thank God she had the presence of mind to say, ‘Hey kids, let’s go inside.’ The other kids froze,” Bradley said.
Still, Bradley shudders at what could’ve happened. She understands Scott Roberts’ brother was heavily armed when he faced off with police and said some of the bullets he fired hit the neighbors’ home across the street, striking a vehicle in a garage and kitchen and living room walls. Bradley spoke with the occupants of the home, who were upstairs when the gunfire erupted.
“We will be honoring all the officers and first responders who saved our community from something that could have been much worse,” she said.
Bradley was only acquainted in passing with Jodi Roberts, but the turn of events has shaken her and many others, prompting her efforts. “We must grieve to heal. This has affected all of our community. This should not be done in isolation. This should be done together,” she said.
Bradley says representatives from a range of faiths will address Saturday’s vigil, along with local leaders and perhaps a relative of Jodi Roberts. She also said a local Fraternal Order of Police chapter is planning to provide food.
North Ogden City Council member Blake Cevering, who lives six houses away from the Roberts home, said there have been violent incidents in North Ogden, but last week’s incident in an upper-scale neighborhood was a shock. He’s been helping Bradley get the word out about Saturday’s vigil. “I think it took a lot of people by surprise,” he said.
The probe into the matter continues, according to Weber County Attorney Chris Allred, who had no new information to publicly release as of Tuesday.