This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man who was shot by police inside an Ogden restaurant last Thursday was in critical but stable condition on Monday, police reported.
Leonard Russell Marion, 36, was being cared for at McKay-Dee Hospital, following the shooting episode at Lee's Mongolian Bar-B-Q, at 2866 S Washington Blvd.
Ogden police Lt. Danielle Croyle has said that two members of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force had tracked Marion to the restaurant just before 8 p.m. on Thursday.
The officers entered the restaurant and confronted Marion, who was wanted for questioning in a case involving methamphetamine possession and fleeing from law enforcement in a vehicle.
Croyle said the officers approached the suspect initially to just ask him some questions.
"They went in there to talk with him in regards to a criminal investigation, an altercation ensued and escalated, and shots were fired," she said.
Witnesses described the altercation at one point becoming a wrestling match involving the two officers and the suspect. Then, two shots were fired, striking Marion.
Croyle confirmed that Marion was armed with a handgun, but she could not confirm that the man had fired his weapon.
There were other customers inside the eatery, which was reportedly minutes away from closing for the night, but no other injuries were reported.
Croyle declined to release the identity of the officer who fired his weapon, but did confirm he is a 13-year law enforcement veteran with the Ogden Police Department and had been appointed to the multi-agency task force.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending review of the shooting by both the Ogden Police Department and Weber County Attorney's Office.
Utah court records show Marion has a criminal history going back to 2002 that includes convictions on numerous drug possession and distribution counts, theft, firearms violations and criminal trespassing.
He has been in and out of the Utah State Prison since in August 2005, when he violated his court probation. He was released in June 2007, but violated his parole and was returned in December 2008. He was discharged in April 2010, but came back on a new commitment on November 2011. His sentence was terminated in October 2013, according to Corrections officials.
At the time of the shooting episode, Marion was awaiting a Nov. 24 appearance in 2nd District Court on his latest charges: a second-degree felony count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, two third-degree felony counts of exposing a child to a controlled substance, and misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.