Ogden man shoots, kills man during dispute over drone

A dispute over a drone ended with one Ogden man shooting and killing another, police say.

The shooting unfolded just before 10 p.m. Monday near Monroe Boulevard and 675 North. According to charging documents, Brendon Michael Powell, 25, called police to report that he had shot another man after arguing over his drone. Arriving officers found the other man, 31, dead.

Powell, who told police he did not know the man killed, said he “heard a commotion coming from a vehicle,” so he went outside and flew his drone “to investigate.” The drone crashed into a tree, so Powell “went around his residence with his firearm in his hand” to retrieve it.

There, Powell said he came upon the other man holding the drone. A Powell approached him, the man ran away, Powell said, then “turned toward him with one hand on the drone and one hand in his pocket.” Powell told police he fired about seven rounds, killing him.

He also told investigators he “didn’t want to lose his drone because of its value,” charging documents state.

According to police, surveillance video from Powell’s residence shows him flying a drone. The drone can be heard hitting something, and Powell can be heard as he “racked the slide” of his handgun. Powell and the other man can also be heard arguing before gunshots ring out, charging documents state.

A medical examiner determined that each of the shots fired hit the man killed, causing his death, according to the charging documents.

Powell was charged Wednesday in 2nd District Court with murder and six counts of discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injuries, all first-degree felonies. He is being held without bail in the Weber County jail.