31-year-old grabs crashed drone, then owner shoots and kills him, Utah cops say

A 31-year-old was shot dead after picking up a crashed drone in Utah, police told news outlets.

A 25-year-old man, Brendon Powell, got into a verbal fight with the 31-year-old before fatally shooting him, according to an Ogden Police Department Sept. 5 Facebook Post.

Police responded to the scene after reports of a gunshot wound on Sept. 4.

Powell told cops he heard noise coming from outside so he flew his drone out to investigate, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by KSL.

After the drone crashed into a tree, Powell grabbed a gun and went outside to get it, according to the affidavit also obtained by FOX 13.

That’s when Powell saw the victim holding the drone before running away, police told The Salt Lake Tribune.

Powell is accused of firing “several rounds,” police said in the release said.

Security footage showed Powell rack “the slide of the firearm” before “approaching the victim,” according to the probable cause statement obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.

McClatchy News reached out to officials for more information on Sept. 6 and is awaiting a response.

The victim died at the scene, police said.

Powell was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Weber County Correctional Facility on a murder charge, the release said.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to police.

Ogden is about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City.

This story was originally published September 6, 2023 at 1:08 PM with the headline "31-year-old grabs crashed drone, then owner shoots and kills him, Utah cops say."