The search for a gunman accused of critically wounding a Utah park ranger stretched into a second day Sunday as helicopter and boat crews combed a rugged Utah canyon and law officers broadened their pursuit to include a railroad line.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that more than 160 officers from around the state were searching an area near the Colorado River southwest of Moab, an area famous for red rock canyons and natural arch formations.
The search near Dead Horse State Park began after Utah State Parks Ranger Brody Young, 34, of Moab, was shot three times Friday night while patrolling the popular Poison Spider Mesa Trail, authorities said.
The search area on Sunday consisted of 15 square miles of rugged terrain that authorities say has likely given the gunman the "upper hand" in avoiding capture, Grand County Sheriff James Nyland said. Three helicopters were included in the search Sunday and authorities were also searching freight cars along an area railroad line.
"He pretty much knows where we are at all times because of the number of people we have," Nyland said at a press conference.
On Saturday, authorities tracked the man's footprints in a canyon along the Colorado River, recovering his rifle, backpack and a tattered, bloody T-shirt. However, Nyland said authorities still believe the man is armed, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"We consider this individual armed and dangerous. As we're tracking him we have to keep that in mind _ the security of the trackers _ and we're having to move pretty slow," Nyland said.
Young stopped a vehicle at the trailhead, and gunfire was exchanged between him and the driver, said parks spokeswoman Deena Loyola. It was not clear what sparked the violence, and Nyland said authorities have not yet been able to interview Young.
Nyland had told The Associated Press that the ranger had been shot in the arm, leg and the stomach area, and he underwent surgery at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction. The hospital declined to comment.
Authorities planned on searching the suspect's silver Pontiac Grand Am on Sunday. Police have not released the suspect's name, but Nyland told reporters at a news conference Sunday that the man's previous criminal history involved only misdemeanor traffic warrants, according to KSTU-TV.
Family members were stunned by the shooting, saying Young has faced tense work situations but never alone. His family says he is a friendly, outgoing ranger.
Young and his wife, Wendy, have three children. The couple are outdoor enthusiasts who once worked as river guides in the Moab area.
Loyola said Young, who has been a ranger for more than four years, was speaking to medics and at the hospital.
The Poison Spider Mesa trail to the south of Moab is among Utah's best-known biking runs with enthusiasts calling it an especially challenging but scenic loop that rises more than 1,000 feet into the surrounding countryside.
Wasn't there a similar situation in a book? Fact following fiction yet again...
"The only thing we did was wrong was staying in the wilderness to long...the only thing we did was right was the day we started to fight..."
-Old Spiritual
My book, The Marauders on Lulu and Amazon
Crazy story! I've been jeeping on the Poison Spider Trail. There is a lot of open land out there! I really hope they catch this scumbag before someone else gets hurt.
The news said they know who the suspect is, the ranger wrote down his name and license number prior to the incident. Hopefully they'll have him behind bars soon. I hope he becomes "Bubba's" new best friend ;)
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.
azbackpackr wrote:Would be nice to know why he did it, though.
That's what I'm wondering too.
"The only thing we did was wrong was staying in the wilderness to long...the only thing we did was right was the day we started to fight..."
-Old Spiritual
My book, The Marauders on Lulu and Amazon
Salt Lake Tribune wrote:
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office will pull back on the search for the man suspected of shooting Utah park ranger Brody Young.
Sheriff Jim Nyland said all mobile command centers will be closed and, instead, rangers will run routine patrols in the area. SWAT personnel assisting in the search for 40-year-old Lance Leeroy Arellano have already left the site.
“We haven’t come across anything fresh in the last couple of days,” Nyland said Friday. “We have opened up all the roads as of today.”
Perimeters set in the area will likely come down, too. The decision comes exactly one week after Young, 34, was shot at least five times during a routine parking-lot check at Poison Spider Mesa Trailhead, southwest of Moab.
Sheriff’s officials believe Arellano was shot in the leg during the shootout. He fled the scene and has not been seen since.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers and other search personnel combed a 15-square-mile area near Dead Horse Point State Park for several days before scaling back the effort.
Earlier this week police issued a statewide attempt-to-locate bulletin for Arellano. And prosecutors filed first-degree felony attempted murder charge against Arellano in 7th District Court.
“This guy, he hasn’t surfaced at all,” Nyland said. “With the information we have put out over the last couple, three days to the general public, we haven’t had any calls at all.”
Young was reported to be in critical condition but stable in St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo. He underwent more surgery Friday, Nyland said.
"The only thing we did was wrong was staying in the wilderness to long...the only thing we did was right was the day we started to fight..."
-Old Spiritual
My book, The Marauders on Lulu and Amazon
No signs at any exit point sounds like maybe he is dead - but if he is hardcore, he could be holed up in some canyon on a ledge out of view from choppers, etc. He'd have to be one hombre muy duro to survive out there with little supplies and being injured, but he stands a better chance than if it were summer.
I wonder if they're just going to stake out his known residences, so that if comes out alive he gets busted.
"The only thing we did was wrong was staying in the wilderness to long...the only thing we did was right was the day we started to fight..."
-Old Spiritual
My book, The Marauders on Lulu and Amazon
"The only thing we did was wrong was staying in the wilderness to long...the only thing we did was right was the day we started to fight..."
-Old Spiritual
My book, The Marauders on Lulu and Amazon
I assume that eventually it will come out, since the ranger might make a statement after he is doing better? I figure, though, that since he is likely conscious, he has already told someone what happened.
There is a point of no return unremarked at the time in most lives. Graham Greene The Comedians
A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
Route Editor
Route Scout
Fact following fiction yet again...
