In the quiet evening of January 9, 2020, in Ogden, Utah, the life of 21-year-old Hispanic male Isaac Ignacio Gonzalez was tragically cut short. Gonzalez was fatally shot in the chest while in the parking lot of a church located at 236 Porter Avenue. First responders arrived at the scene around 9:30 p.m. to find Gonzalez with a critical gunshot wound.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting quickly gained momentum when a second individual arrived at the same hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm. This second victim provided crucial information to the police, identifying 19-year-old Caleb Michael Skipps of Pleasant View as the shooter. Investigators determined that the shooting was related to a drug transaction that had gone wrong.
Based on an anonymous tip, police located Skipps in an apartment with two women. The women told investigators they had driven Skipps to the church to meet someone and witnessed an altercation between Skipps and Gonzalez before hearing gunshots. Skipps was taken into custody and, during an interview with police, admitted to shooting both Gonzalez and the other man, who were unarmed. He also admitted to being a habitual marijuana user and had brought a Ruger. 380 handgun to the meeting. After the shooting, Skipps attempted to discard evidence by throwing pieces of his clothing and the gun out of the car window as they drove away.
Skipps was arrested and booked into the Weber County Jail. He was initially charged with murder, a first-degree felony, obstruction of justice, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. In January 2022, as part of a plea agreement, Caleb Michael Skipps pleaded guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter and attempted aggravated murder. In March 2022, he was sentenced to consecutive prison terms of 10 years to life and one to 15 years.
