Owner recounts restaurant shooting; man in critical condition


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OGDEN — A man shot by police inside a popular Ogden restaurant remained hospitalized Friday in critical condition.

Two officers who watched Leonard Russell Marion, 36, walk into Lee's Mongolian BBQ, 2866 Washington Blvd., Thursday night, went inside to question him about a drug case about 7:50 p.m.

"After initial contact, the situation escalated into a physical altercation. The suspect had a gun and multiple shots were fired," Ogden police said in a prepared statement.

"The doorbell rang, and the next I know the police and him are on the floor," said restaurant owner Shou Chen Lee. "All I heard was bang bang, and I was like, 'Whoa. I'd better just back away.'"

Lee said Marion and a woman he was with had just finished eating and he was tipping the cook when the officers entered.

Details about whether Marion pointed his gun at officers or fired any shots were not disclosed Friday. One officer was injured but investigators have not said what type of injuries the officer sustained.

The officer and Marion were both transported to McKay-Dee Hospital Center. The officer, a 13-year veteran whose name was not released, was discharged from the hospital Friday morning. Ogden Police Lt. Danielle Croyle said he was not shot.

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Marion underwent surgery Thursday night. He was listed in critical condition Friday.

Other patrons were still inside the restaurant when the shooting occurred. No one else was injured.

Croyle did not know Friday if the intent of the officers when they entered the restaurant was simply to question Marion or if they intended to arrest him. She said confronting suspects in a public place, such as a restaurant rather than waiting for him to walk outside, is not uncommon.

"We deal with people in the schools, we deal with people in the streets, we deal with people in their homes when we do investigations," Croyle said. "It's really the suspect. The suspect is responsible for their actions. And their actions, at the request of what the officers are asking, determines what action gets taken by the officers. We contact people all the time as part of an investigation that we need to interview and we don't have this type of confrontation. It's really the suspect's behavior."

Marion has a long history of drug-related crimes, according to Utah state court records. He was charged in March with selling drugs from a hotel room where police also found two small children. A court hearing on that case was scheduled for Monday. Another hearing for a charge of fleeing from police was also scheduled for Monday.

Marion was convicted of drug distribution in 2011 and was sentenced to up to five years in prison, court records state. In a second case the same year he was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison. Marion was also convicted of felony drug possession in 2008 and 2005 and sentenced to up to five years in prison each time.

An investigative team from the Weber County Attorney’s Office is conducting an independent criminal investigation of the shooting. The Ogden Police Shooting Review Board will also review whether procedure and policy were followed.

Contributing: Nicole Vowell and Peter Samore

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