WEBER COUNTY, Utah, April 18, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A man jailed in Ogden after two separate criminal incidents on Saturday, attempted murder and attempted car theft, faces a new felony charge as of Monday.
Brian Clint Tasker, 26, who police say confessed shooting and trying to kill and man on Saturday, and to later trying to steal a car, now faces charges related to a Jan. 21 case in South Ogden.
The most serious new charge out of South Ogden is failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, a third-degree felony. Previously, a warrant had been issued for Tasker’s arrest, but since he is now in custody, South Ogden Police filed the new charges.
The Saturday charges, from the Ogden City Police Department, are listed below, by incident.
In the first case, Tasker faces charges of:
- Murder (attempted), knowing and intentional, a first-degree felony
- Purchase, transfer, possession, use of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony
In the second case, Tasker faces charges of:
- Aggravated robber, a first-degree felony
- Burglary of a dwelling, a second-degree felony
- Interference with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor
First Ogden case
In the first incident, officers were dispatched to McKay-Dee Hospital on reports of a man with a bullet wound.
“An adult male victim had gone into the emergency room with a single gunshot wound to the chest,” says Tasker’s probable cause statement, filed by an Ogden City Police Officer.
“The victim was able to tell officers that he had been shot by a suspect in the garage where he lives. The victim stated to detectives that the person who shot him was known to him, and is the son of his friend,” identified as Tasker, the statement says.
A surveillance camera recorded Tasker “showing up to the victim’s house and then running from the house within the time frame the shooting occurred,” it says.
Second Ogden case
Hours later, Ogden officers were dispatched to the scene of reported burglary and attempted vehicle theft.
“Upon officers arrival, Brian walked away, and officers attempted to place him into custody. This was done because officers instantly recognized Brian,” Tasker’s second probable cause statement says.
“Officers ran after Brian, who refused multiple lawful commands to stop walking. Brian was taken to the ground, refused to produce his hands when officers asked, and tightened his muscles to attempt to keep officers from placing him into custody.”
The victim told officers he/she had never met Tasker and did not recognize him.
“When the victim walked back home, they saw Brian walking out of their (trailer’s) front door. The victim confronted Brian, at which point, Brian attempted to get inside the victims vehicle, and drive away.”
The vehicle keys had been inside the trailer, and were believed stolen by Tasker, the statement says.
“The victim opened the driver door, where Brian was sitting, and attempted to pull Brian from the vehicle. The vehicle has a manual transmission, and Brian stalled the vehicle, causing it to shut off. This was the only reason the victim was able to stop Brian from stealing their vehicle.
“Both Brian and the victim physically fought outside the vehicle, the victim successfully pulling Brian from the vehicle,” the probable cause statement says.
“While both Brian and the victim were physically fighting, the victim stated that Brian pulled a knife from his pocket, and attempted to stab them. The victim successfully pulled the knife from Brian, and threw it into bushes nearby.”
Post Miranda, “Brian admitted to entering the residence, stealing the knife, and said that he attempted to steal the vehicle, but the victim prevented him from (doing so).”
Tasker also admitted to the earlier shooting, the statement says.
“Brian stated that he tried to empty the gun into the victim, but it jammed after one round. Brian stated he usually did not carry the gun but took it with him because he felt like he was on a mission. Brian’s statements showed a clear indication that he had intended to murder the victim, and took a substantial step toward murdering the victim by shooting them in the chest from close range.
“By Brian’s own admission, the victim was only not shot more because the gun
jammed.”
South Ogden case
The newly field charges, based on a Jan. 21 incident, are:
- Failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, a third-degree felony
- Operating a vehicle without a license, a class C misdemeanor
- Operating a vehicle without insurance, a class C misdemeanor
- Driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor
- Failure to register or expired vehicle registration, an infraction
“The suspect, Brian Tasker, in this case has been arrested and currently in Weber County Jail for an OPD case. This case was originally sent to Weber County Attorney for summons/warrant,” the South Ogden probable cause statement says.
The reporting officer says he saw Tasker’s car outside the home of a family member, and knew the car was believed believed to be involved in an Ogden Metro Gangs investigation in which Tasker was a suspect.
The officer observed Tasker return to the car and get inside, alone. The probable cause statement says Tasker drove away at a high rate of speed, so the officer turned on his emergency lights, followed shortly afterward by his siren.
Tasker continued to speed away, the statement says, and he drove into a residential area, so the South Salt Lake Police officer terminated the pursuit due to safety concerns.
The officer noted that he checked with Tasker’s family members, who confirmed person who left in the Buick was Brian Tasker.
Tasker is booked into the Weber County Jail, where he was ordered held without bail.
