The family of the man who was fatally shot by FBI agents at his home after he made violent threats against President Joe Biden on Facebook, have called his death "senseless" in a new statement. The statement mentions Craig Robertson as a devout father and sibling who attended church and loved making children's toys using his woodworking skills.
Not only his family, but also his neighbors described Robertson as a "decent guy" who looked after his visually impaired son, but was the "type to sleep with a gun under his pillow". Robertson allegedly pointed a gun at law enforcement officials during the incident on Wednesday, resulting in what locals termed as a barrage of gunfire at his home in Provo.
Wrong Judgement
Robertson was then forcibly removed from his home and succumbed to his injuries on the pavement outside his dwelling, covered under a sheet, as reported by local media. "I just can't believe that this man warranted that kind of response," Travis Clark, who lived on the same street as Robertson, told the Deseret News.
Many were taken aback by the huge police response to the home of the 300-pound Air Force veteran who had turned into a carpenter. People familiar with him revealed that he moved with difficulty, often relying on a cane for mobility.
Local resident Connor Bunch described Robertson to The New York Post as a "teddy bear" who looked after his blind son, Sean, who is in his 50s, and claimed that the entire neighborhood was shocked by how the events played out one day before Biden visited the state.
Bunch claimed that the day before the raid, he heard police knocking on Robertson's door, but that Robertson turned them away because they had a warrant.
"I don't think he was even given a chance to even see a warrant when they went in and raided his house," Bunch said.
"That was them serving the warrant but in the most spectacular way. It just seems like a tremendously unnecessary display of force."
Robertson's family also called his death "senseless". "The Craig Robertson we knew was a kind and generous person who was always willing to assist another in need, even when advanced age, limited mobility and other physical challenges made it more difficult and painful for him to do so," the statement from his family read.
His relatives described his social media use as "intemperate." However, they added that he would never "commit any act of violence against another human being over a political or philosophical disagreement."
According to a federal complaint obtained by The New York Post from the Utah US Attorney's office, explicit threats were outlined against President Biden and prominent Democratic figures, such as Kamala Harris, Letitia James (New York Attorney General), Merrick Garland (US Attorney General), and Gavin Newsom (Governor of California), among several others.
"I hear Biden is coming to Utah," Robertson wrote on Sunday. "Digging out my old ghille suit and cleaning the dust off the M24 sniper rifle. Welcome, Buffoon-in-chief!"
Bunch added: "It makes you wonder who will be next because there are no shortage of people out there who don't say the smartest things online.
"Is the FBI going to bust in their door too with guns blazing? It just seems like a very inappropriate way to have handled the situation."
Not Really a Threat
Andrew Maunder, another neighbor, referred to Robertson as a "harmless" elderly gentleman, according to his statement to the Salt Lake Tribune.
"He definitely had his political views, which he was very public about on Facebook, but I think deep down, he was just a cranky old guy."
He also told The Salt Lake Tribune: "There's no way that he was driving from here to Salt Lake City, setting up a rifle and taking a shot at the president — 100% no way."
Despite writing things like "the time is right for a presidential assassination" and "death to Joe Biden," Robertson maintained a normal outward appearance and founded a company called Craig's Custom Woods. He organized a volunteer group to help build a ramp for a disabled woman and assisted Maunder in building a kitchen table.
Maunder claimed Robertson jokingly predicted he would commit suicide by police, but he "never thought it would actually happen," according to the Tribune.
Paul Searing, a former neighbor and 22-year friend of Robertson, claimed to have seen the father-of-three's Facebook posts veering toward the extreme but dismissed it as the "old man just trying to share frustration with what's going on in the world."
At around 6 am on Wednesday, Robertson's neighbors were awakened by the FBI standing outside his house yelling for him to "come out with your hands up."
Shortly afterward, the surroundings were filled with the blasting sound of rapid gunfire, prompting these neighbors to take refuge in their basements and cautiously observe the tumultuous scene from their windows.
"It sounded like it was coming from inside my house," one neighbor told the Deseret News.
The Deseret News reported that Robertson's lifeless body was then pulled out of his residence, displaying signs of bloodiness and lifelessness. Witnesses stated that authorities attempted to render first-aid but their efforts proved ineffective.
Following his death on the sidewalk, Robertson's body remained there for a span of two hours beneath a sheet soaked in blood, as recounted by neighbors.
"I understand they have procedures that have to be followed, but having his body out there for so long when there's kids in the cul-de-sac...they could have done more. Because he was bleeding through the sheet," a neighbor told the local outlet.
Robertson, as noted by his neighbors who claimed he habitually carried a firearm, was reportedly shot after allegedly aiming a gun at law enforcement personnel, as revealed by a source familiar with the situation speaking to CNN.
Eyewitnesses told the Deseret News that following the firing of six gunshots, FBI agents began yelling: "Shots fired, shots fired. He's armed!"
"They were all shooting at the same time...and at that point in time, I was in get-my-kid mode," an unidentified neighbor told the local outlet.
