County officials in Utah are launching an investigation into the shooting of an elderly man by FBI agents that occurred in Provo earlier in August.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, 75-year-old Craig Robertson was shot to death in his home on August 9 when FBI agents tried to serve an arrest warrant. Robertson was charged with making various threats on social media against President Joe Biden, other high-profile politicians, and FBI agents.
County officials said on Friday that there will be an investigation into whether the shooting was justifiable.
“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, [we are] investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting,” said the Utah County Attorney’s Office, according to the Daily Herald. “That investigation includes review of evidence in the FBI’s possession as well as evidence independently gathered by the County Attorney’s investigative team.”
Some of Robertson’s neighbors and family members spoke out in the aftermath of the shooting, expressing disbelief over the incident.
In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, Robertson’s family said they were “shocked and devastated by the senseless and tragic killing of our beloved father and brother, and we fervently mourn the loss of a good and decent man.”
Robertson’s neighbor, Andrew Maunder, told the SLT, “I think deep down, he was just a cranky old guy who was harmless.”
Since the shooting, reports have emerged about an incident in which Robertson allegedly threatened two Google Fiber employees with a firearm after they came onto his property in 2018 to access a utility pole for an installation. The employees reportedly tried to inform Robertson prior to going into his backyard, but he allegedly did not answer the front door.
Despite the 2018 incident and the numerous social media posts allegedly associated with Robertson that alluded to assassinating politicians, neighbors reportedly do not believe that Robertson was a real danger to anyone.
“I’m sorry, I just think he was an old kook shooting his mouth off. He would occasionally tell us an off-color political joke from time to time. But there was nothing he ever did that would have made me think that he was either mentally or physically capable of doing anything. And anybody who knew him knew that,” said Travis Clark, a neighborhood resident who said he knew Robertson well, the Desert News reported. “I just can’t believe that this man warranted that kind of response.”
Clark told the news outlet that Robertson weighed around 300 pounds and needed a cane to get around.
“Once the investigation into the facts is complete, the Utah County Attorney will examine the evidence to determine whether the shooting was lawfully justified,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Timothy Taylor told ABC 4. “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.”
Taylor told the news outlet that if authorities determine the killing was unjustified, the FBI agents involved could face criminal charges.
