CAMP VERDE, Ariz.—Residents of a Native American reservation in Arizona were told to stay inside their homes as authorities searched Thursday for a suspect who opened fire at tribal police officers, critically injuring one of them, authorities said.
The shooting happened Wednesday night on the Yavapai-Apache Nation in the Verde Valley region of north-central Arizona when officers responded to a report of gunfire. The suspect got out of a vehicle, “fled on foot and began shooting at the officers,” tribal officials said in a statement.
Residents were told to stay in their homes until the suspect is caught and bus service was canceled for two areas of the reservation. KTVK-TV showed video of law enforcement officers walking through tall brush and reported that they were searching for the suspect.
“The subject is considered armed and dangerous and the public is asked to stay out of the area until the search has ended,” the tribal statement said.
The FBI is overseeing the investigation with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.
The federal agency on Thursday made public the name and description of a man wanted for questioning in connection with the shooting. Valentin Rodriguez, 39, may have information about the incident, FBI officials said in a statement.
The unidentified officer was airlifted to a Phoenix hospital and was in critical but stable condition, officials said.
The Yavapai-Apache tribe is headquartered in the town of Camp Verde, north of Phoenix.
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