Hours before President Joe Biden was scheduled to arrive in the state on Wednesday, an armed Utah man accused of making threats against the vice president was shot and killed by FBI agents, according to authorities. At 6:15 a.m., a gunshot occurred while special agents were attempting to serve a warrant at Craig Deleeuw Robertson at Provo, Utah, residence, according to a statement from the FBI.
According to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press under the condition of anonymity to disclose specifics of an ongoing investigation, Robertson was carrying a weapon at the time of the killing.
Robertson was in possession of a weapon at the time of the murder, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss aspects of an ongoing investigation.
In a another tweet, Craig Deleeuw Robertson describes himself as a “MAGA Trumper,” a play on the phrase “Make America Great Again” used by former president Donald Trump.
According to papers in court, the posts showed he did appear to own a long-range sniper rifle, a number of other weapons, and “ghillie suit-style” camouflage clothing. According to court documents, Robertson was charged under secrecy on Tuesday with three felonies, including making threats against the president.
Along with a long list of other online threats, Robertson also mentioned a “presidential assassination” and made threats against prominent law enforcement figures in cases involving Trump, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
“A presidential assassination or two are in order. Authorities claim Robertson wrote in a September 2022 Facebook post that was included in the documents, “First Joe then Kamala!!!” In the court records, Robertson was not immediately represented by an attorney.
The shooting is being investigated by the FBI, but no other information was made available right away.