October 31, 2016
By Paul Joseph, Paragon Communications News Director –
Michael D. Vance, Jr. was shot dead last (Sunday) night in a shootout with law enforcement south of Leedy in southwest Dewey County.
Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sanders was shot in the incident suffering non-life threatening injuries. Sanders was transported to Great Plains Regional Medical Center in Elk City where he was reported to be in fairly good condition suffering gunshot wounds to the elbow and the shoulder.
The Dewey County Sheriff’s department has called in the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the scene where Vance was shot and wounded the Sheriff. According to an OSBI release, the bureau is only investigating the shooting involving the Sheriff.
The shootout was the culmination of both a week-long man hunt and day long anxious search after the 38-year-old’s stolen vehicle was spotted by a farmer on his property near Hammon. A search of the area around the vehicle turned up a campsite near a Foss Lake tributary where Vance is believed to have spent the last several days, but Vance – himself – was nowhere to be found. Still, law enforcement believed it was the first real lead since the gunman shot an Alabama man in the parking lot of the Flying J Service Center on the south side of Sayre a week earlier. Police believe Vance, of Chandler, Oklahoma, was trying to steal another vehicle in his flee from officers.
Dozens of law enforcers combed the area all afternoon on Sunday knowing they were closing in on the suspected murderer who was considered to possibly be armed with an AK-47. They had set up a perimeter for the suspect that ran from Cheyenne and Reydon to the Ellis County line, east to Custer County, Hammon and the Foss Lake area.
According to the OSBI, Sunday night, Sheriff Sanders spotted a flatbed truck dragging a chain creating sparks along State Highway 34 south of Leedy. He initiated a traffic stop to warn the driver a fire would result due to the sparks.
The driver stopped and exited the truck shooting an assault rifle. Sanders was shot as he returned fire. That driver got back inside the truck and continued on south on the highway.
Within 30 minutes, law enforcement engaged the suspect and a gun battle ensued. Vance was shot and killed.
Vance is believed to have killed his aunt and uncle a week ago Sunday and when two Wellston police officers arrived on the scene of the altercation, Vance allegedly shot them, too. Both officers are expected to survive.
Vance fled from that scene and reportedly shot another person, a woman who sustained minor injuries in the shooting, stealing her car and fleeing west on I-40 to Sayre late Sunday night, the 23rd.
In all, seven people were shot by Vance before he was finally cornered about 10:30 Sunday night in a field near the intersection of highways 34 and 47, about a mile-and-a-half south of Leedy.
It’s believed Vance also suffered gunshot wounds in a shootout with police in Wellston, but there’s been no information from law enforcement regarding the extent of his injuries.
There’s been no report of any other injuries sustained by officers or area residents during Sunday’s gun battles.
Vance was charged in June in Lincoln County for sexually abusing a 15-year-old female. The victim reported the attack to a family member who called police.
Vance was charged with rape by instrumentation, forcible oral sodomy and lewd acts with a minor and was due in court this week on the charge.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has announced that a press conference will take place on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. in Oklahoma City. The OHP will be joined at the press conference by representatives from other law enforcement agencies to answer inquiries related to the Michael Vance manhunt.
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