Family of Ogden shooting victim feel left in the dark

Sept. 11--OGDEN -- The man killed in an officer-involved shooting Tuesday was suspected of shooting and seriously injuring another man outside a Rite Aid Sept. 4, Ogden police have said.

Christopher James Roskelley, 38, of Ogden, was killed by police late Tuesday afternoon after a brief encounter with agents from the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force near 100 N. Harrison Boulevard.

Few details were immediately available following the incident, which is being investigated by the Weber County Attorney's office per standard procedure, but more became clear Wednesday.

Roskelley was driving a small white sedan just before 5 p.m. when he was pulled over by police in a residential driveway. He and another man were in the car and surrounded by officers.

The man with Roskelley was taken from the car and handcuffed at the scene "as a safety precaution," Ogden Lt. Danielle Croyle told the Standard-Examiner. The man was later interviewed and released and will not be charged, Croyle said.

Croyle clarified that multiple agents fired their guns and have been placed on administrative leave. She declined to give a specific number. Police are routinely placed on leave after discharging their firearms for any reason.

Roskelley, "was the primary suspect" in the shooting outside Rite Aid, Croyle said, amid police and witness reports of multiple men in a getaway vehicle. He was located after days of investigative work by the Ogden Metro Gang Unit, she said. There is a high possibility the shooting was gang related, Croyle said, but she couldn't positively confirm Roskelley himself was a gang member.

Officers from both units were involved in the investigation and incident.

Croyle also believes the shooting was the culmination of a quickly developing situation rather than a lengthy standoff. She couldn't confirm whether Roskelley, who was armed, had threatened or fired at police with his gun. The information available to the Ogden Police Department is limited, Croyle said, because the investigation has been turned over exclusively to the county attorney's office.

Family: We're kept in the dark

The whereabouts of Roskelley's body haven't been confirmed to his family, who have been getting almost all of their information about the shooting from media reports, his father told the Standard-Examiner Wednesday afternoon.

"They're keeping it totally in the dark. ... It seems like they're shutting us out," Ron Roskelley said. "Nobody is willing to give us any information. We've called everybody."

Ron Roskelley said police have indicated his son's body may be at the state medical examiner's office, but nothing has been confirmed.

Ron Roskelley said he was completely unaware his son may be a suspect in last week's shooting.

"We had no idea that was the case," he said.

He added he wants to find out more details about the incident before speaking out. The family has been referred to the county attorney's office, he said, who so far haven't responded.

"I don't want to start pointing fingers at police or anybody," Ron Roskelly said. "At this point, we don't have any of the facts."

Ron Roskelley added his family wants privacy while they mourn.

"It's way too early to talk about Christopher," he said.

Roskelley's history

Christopher Roskelley has an extensive history of criminal charges dating back to 1992; none of those charges were for violent crimes, however, and the majority were dismissed.

Roskelley pleaded guilty to falsifying a medical prescription, a third degree felony, in 2005. He also pleaded guilty to alcohol-related reckless driving in 2000. On Sept. 4, the day he allegedly shot a man outside an Ogden Rite Aid, he was officially cited for operating a vehicle without insurance in August.

A friend of Roskelley's who didn't want to be identified, told the Standard-Examiner Roskelley was a heavily involved church-goer. The friend, who declined to identify the church, said Roskelley would volunteer there multiple times per week and frequently attended Bible study and other classes.

"This whole situation is kind of mind boggling. It's totally out of character," Roskelley's friend said. "He was very outgoing. He got along with everyone. As soon as you started talking to him, you felt like you knew him."

However, Roskelley had been falling out of touch with many of his friends at the church for about six months, his friend said.

"Not a lot of people had really been able to get in touch with him," he said.

Contact reporter Ben Lockhart at 801-625-4221 or blockhart@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @SE_Lockhart. Like his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/blockhartSE.

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