North Ogden residents hold vigil, grieve in wake of deadly incident
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- A woman helps light candles distributed Saturday, May 6, 2023, as part of a vigil at a North Ogden park in the wake of the violent incident in the city that left two dead on April 27, 2023. Around 200 people attended the vigil.
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- Around 200 people gathered Saturday, May 6, 2023, for a candlelight vigil at a North Ogden park in the wake of the violent incident in the city that left two dead on April 27, 2023. Among the attendees were Dick Stiefken, left, and Dave Duncan, pastor at Valley View Baptist Church in North Ogden and one of the speakers at the event.
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- Participants at a vigil on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at a North Ogden park wrote messages of support to first responders. Around 200 people gathered for the vigil, organized in response to the violent incident in the city that left two dead on April 27, 2023.
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- Participants at a vigil on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at a North Ogden park write messages of support to first responders. Around 200 people gathered for the vigil, organized in response to the violent incident in the city that left two dead on April 27, 2023.
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- Around 200 people gathered Saturday, May 6, 2023, for a vigil at a North Ogden park in the wake of the violent incident in the city that left two dead on April 27, 2023.
NORTH OGDEN — Prior to April 27, if you were to suggest that North Ogden, a quiet residential locale, would be the site of the sort of violence that periodically erupts in larger more urban cities, most here would probably scoff.
“We think it doesn’t happen here for whatever reason. It happens everywhere but here,” said Myron Joyner, a North Ogden resident.
On April 27, however, a California man allegedly shot and killed Scott Roberts, his brother, at the man’s North Ogden home, shot and injured Roberts’ wife, Jodi, and torched their house before dying in a hail of gunfire from responding police.
“It was intense,” said David Fenn, another North Ogden resident who lives seven houses away from the Roberts home, where the violence unfolded. From his home, Fenn said he saw a portion of the exchange between police and the alleged gunman, Jeffrey Roberts of Long Beach, California.
The violent incident is probably an anomaly in the otherwise tranquil city, Fenn said. Still, it shook many, and on Saturday, Fenn, Joyner and about 200 others gathered in a North Ogden park for a candlelight vigil as a show of support for Jodi Roberts. The gathering at Mountain View Park also aimed to serve as a release valve for grief and to aid in the healing process as Roberts family survivors and the public try to move on from the violent exchange.
“It’s a tough one,” said North Ogden Mayor Neal Berube, one of the speakers at the event. He thinks the April 27 incident is the only time North Ogden police have had to discharge their weapons during a call.
Heidi Bradley, who lives around the corner from the home at 3233 Mountain Road, where the violence unfolded, organized Saturday’s vigil. She described the event as an opportunity “to grieve with Jodi Roberts, to grieve for Jodi Roberts.” Roberts family members were in attendance Saturday, Bradley said, though they didn’t publicly address the gathering.
According to a preliminary video report released by the Weber County Attorney’s Office, Jeffrey Roberts arrived at 3233 Mountain Road, rang the doorbell and, after Scott Roberts answered, pulled out a gun and killed him following about 15 seconds of conversation. Officials haven’t reported a possible motive, though the victim’s daughter described Jeffrey Roberts as “my dad’s estranged brother” in a GoFundMe post.
Jeffrey Roberts then entered the home, shooting and injuring Jodi Roberts, and set the home ablaze using road flares, according to the preliminary report, resulting in heavy damage to the structure. North Ogden police quickly responded, shooting and killing Jeffrey Roberts as he fired on them from the entry of the home and seemingly attempted to charge them. The probe overseen by the county attorney’s office continues.
A number of religious officials addressed Saturday’s crowd, in addition to Berube and North Ogden Police Chief Dirk Quinney.
“Faith defeats fear. Faith defeats anxiety. Faith defeats discouragement,” said the Rev. Dave Duncan of Valley View Baptist Church in North Ogden. He went on: “I would just say let’s be together. Let’s work together. Let’s pray together.”
Quinney recalled the moment he received the report about the April 27 confrontation, soon after it occurred.
He was relieved to hear no officers were injured, but still felt heaviness knowing “we had victims, we had a tragedy,” he said. He went on: “First and foremost, we want Jodi and her family to know our hearts are broken. We can’t imagine what’s she’s going through after losing so much.”
Quinney, like Bradley and Berube, lauded the response of police, many in attendance at Saturday’s event along with other first responders.
“I truly think the quick response of those officers saved lives,” Berube said. Jeffrey Roberts, 66, was armed with a 9 mm handgun and a shotgun and had 23 loaded magazines and more than 150 shotgun shells with him, according to the preliminary report into the incident.
Going forward, Berube stressed the importance of forgiveness in the aftermath of an event like the April 27 incident. He also said healing won’t happen overnight. “It’s affected our community and the pain we feel. It’s going to take some time to go away,” he said.