Utah County Attorney’s Office investigating FBI killing of Provo man
The Utah County Attorney’s Office has initiated an investigation into the fatal FBI shooting of Provo resident Craig Robertson earlier this month.
A statement released late Friday noted the office had been notified that FBI agents had shot and killed Robertson, 75, the morning of Aug. 9 during an attempt to serve an arrest warrant at his home.
“According to the FBI, Mr. Robertson was shot when ‘he pointed a .357 revolver at’ agents ‘as they attempted to take him into custody’ under the warrant. Consistent with the requirements of state law, the Utah County Attorney’s Office is investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting. That investigation includes review of evidence in the FBI’s possession as well as evidence independently gathered by the County Attorney’s investigative team,” the statement said.
Once the investigation is complete, Utah County Attorney Jeffery Gray will examine the evidence to determine whether the shooting was lawfully justified. In compliance with state law, the county attorney’s determination — including his findings and analysis — will be published within 180 days after the investigation into the facts and circumstances of the shooting is complete.
Robertson had regularly made violent threats against President Joe Biden and other Democratic public officials through his social media. Biden, who visited Utah later that day and spoke in Salt Lake City on Aug. 10, and was informed of the shooting.
According to family members, Robertson was a gun enthusiast and devoted churchgoer who became distraught over what he saw as “a corrupt and overreaching government,” according to Associated Press reports.
In a statement, his family said they believed Robertson would not have acted on the threats and committed violence over political disagreements, despite court records in which prosecutors depicted him as radicalized. The family also noted that he was as an elderly, homebound man with physical limitations that suggested he posed no danger to anyone he had threatened online.
Robertson had a history of exercising his Second Amendment rights, but seemingly they were often reckless, according to police records.
Five years earlier, he brought a handgun into his Provo backyard to demand Google Fiber employees working on a utility pole to connect a neighbor’s Wi-Fi get off his property, according to a Provo police incident report obtained by The Associated Press.
The Google Fiber crew rang the doorbell of Robertson’s home but there was no answer. It was later that Robertson came outside with a gun, accusing them of trespassing.
“Robertson was yelling at them he was waving his gun around causing the muzzle to point in their direction,” an officer wrote in the August 2018 incident report.
When police subsequently arrived, Robertson answered the door with an AR-15 slung over his shoulder, leading to what an officer described as “a bit of a standoff.” Robertson denied to officers that he had pointed the handgun in anyone’s direction.
“While I was speaking with Robertson while he had his rifle, I observed that he was holding it in a ready position against his body with his finger on the trigger guard which led me to believe he had trained with firearms and was aware of where his muzzle was and how to control the weapon while moving,” the responding officer said.
Officers consulted the local prosecutor but no charges were filed.
In the case of the FBI shooting, in charging documents, authorities accused Robertson of making threats against Biden, high-profile Democrats and FBI agents, referencing “assassination” and posting pictures of weapons including long-range sniper rifles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- Law enforcement officials and a Provo police car can be seen outside the home of Craig Deleeuw Robertson on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Robertson was shot and killed as the FBI served a warrant.
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- Law enforcement investigate the scene of a shooting involving the FBI Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023 in Provo. A man accused of making threats against President Joe Biden was shot and killed by FBI agents hours before the president was expected to land in the state Wednesday, authorities said.
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- The broken window of a Provo home is shown on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. The home belonged to Craig Deleeuw Robertson, who was shot and killed as the FBI served a warrant.
