Ogden man faces murder charge over dispute involving drone
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- A memorial to Royer Peña on Liberty Avenue in Ogden where family say he was shot and killed in a confrontation on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. The photo was taken Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
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- A memorial to Royer Peña on Liberty Avenue in Ogden where family say he was shot and killed in a confrontation on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. The photo was taken Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
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- A memorial to Royer Peña on Liberty Avenue in Ogden where family say he was shot and killed in a confrontation on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. The photo was taken Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023.
OGDEN — The Ogden man arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a neighbor over a dispute involving a drone has been formally charged with murder in the case.
Brendon Powell, 25, charged Wednesday in 2nd District Court in Ogden, also faces six counts of felony discharge of a firearm in the shooting death of Royer Peña, according to online court records. Powell is being held in the Weber County Jail with an initial court appearance set for Friday.
Powell told police that he flew a drone around the corner from his home Monday evening to investigate some sort of “commotion” coming from a vehicle on Liberty Avenue, according to charging papers. The drone apparently hit a tree, Peña retrieved the object and Powell then approached Peña to get it back.
“Brendon approached the victim who was holding his drone, using the tactical light attached to his firearm as a flashlight,” read charging papers. Peña, 31, briefly fled down Liberty Avenue then turned back toward Powell “with one hand holding the drone under his arm and one hand in his pocket” when Powell allegedly fired several times on the man, killing him.
“Brendon told us that he didn’t want to lose his drone because of its value,” read charging papers. Powell’s home is on the corner of 800 North and Liberty Avenue while Peña lived one street to the south on 750 North, according to his family.
Police haven’t publicly named Peña, but family members have and they have also created an impromptu memorial to him near the spot on Liberty Avenue where he was allegedly shot and killed. His wife, Eveline Peña, told the Standard-Examiner that a GoFundMe page has been created to help his surviving family members, including her and the couple’s five kids.
“Royer was a father of 5 beautiful children, 2 girls and 3 boys. He was more than a great friend, most would say he was family. He was always there for everyone no matter the circumstance,” reads the GoFundMe page.
The memorial on Liberty Avenue features a photo of Peña, a cross, votive candles, flowers and bottles of Pacifico, a Mexican beer.