Utah family shares devastation of losing father, husband in road rage shooting
Oct 27, 2022, 6:25 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 4:30 pm
PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — A Pleasant Grove community is grieving tonight after a husband and father of four was killed in a road rage incident.
The Mortensen family lost their little 7-year-old daughter London in a moving truck accident eight years ago. And now, they’re dealing with the devastating loss of their husband and father.
“He was this huge, big mountain of a man, and you put a puppy on him or one of his kids and he would melt at the sight of his wife and kids,” said Chris Mortensen’s sister-in-law, Jessica Roussel. “That was the thing that brought him the most joy in life.”
Family and friends are still trying to make sense of 41-year-old Chris Mortensen’s death.
“We know it was a senseless act of violence that took him, and that’s the main thing that the family is going to forever struggle to understand,” said Brandon Merrill, cousin and family attorney.
Mortensen was killed Wednesday following a road rage incident on Interstate 15, the violence escalating when the two vehicles got off the freeway in Sandy. Police say that’s when 32-year-old Rodrigo Monroy pulled out a gun and shot Mortensen in the chest.
“This is a perfect example of worst case scenario, said Sgt. Greg Moffitt from the Sandy Police Department.
1 killed, 1 in custody in Sandy shooting after possible road rage incident
While Monroy was arrested for first-degree murder, Mortensen leaves behind a wife and four children.
“He was everything to Nicole,” Roussel said. “I was talking to her this morning and she said, ‘He was made for me. We were made for each other.’ He carried her burdens without a single complaint and loved her and her family so much.”
Roussel said her brother-in-law’s death will leave a giant hole in their family’s heart, and that he will always be their gentle giant.
She said he lived a life of service that will always be remembered.
“He was always looking to help other people, and he was always trying to live his best life, because he knew when this life was over, he would be able to see his daughter again, and he wanted to make sure that was something possible for him to do,” Roussel said.
Mortensen was the sole provider for his family. A donation site* has been created for them.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
