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Man wanted for shooting at officers is caught south of Cortez

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Monday, May 4, 2020 1:22 PM
San Juan County Sheriff’s Office

Vijil

A Utah man wanted for allegedly shooting at law enforcement last week and fleeing the scene was captured Sunday south of Cortez.

The FBI said Cecil Vijil was spotted about 7 p.m. Sunday walking along U.S. Highway 160 near Towaoc on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation.

A Bureau of Indian Affairs officer arrested Vigil without incident, the FBI said in an emailed statement Monday morning.

According to court records, Vijil is suspected of shooting an AR-style semi-automatic rifle at a store in Mexican Hat, Utah, Thursday morning.

Later that day, an FBI agent and San Juan County Sheriff’s Office (Utah) deputy went to Vigil’s home in Aneth to investigate the incident when Vijil allegedly appeared from behind the home armed with an AR rifle and fired multiple shots at the officers.

No one was injured.

The FBI said last week a second man, Gary Lee Jr., also was being investigated in connection with the crimes, but a spokeswoman for the FBI did not immediately answer follow-up questions about his whereabouts.

The men, both in their late 30s, were reportedly seen fleeing the area in a black pickup truck with Colorado plates heading east on County Road G in McElmo Canyon Road toward Cortez, according to the San Juan Record.

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