A suspect who was shot by law enforcement following a high-speed pursuit Saturday was said to be in stable condition earlier this week, as the Oklahoma Highway Patrol continued an investigation of the shooting, which occurred near Airline Road and County Road 3220 in Pauls Valley.
Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May said Monday the situation began as a disturbance of some sort in Purcell. Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers were requested to assist the Purcell Police Department with a pursuit traveling south on Interstate 35 just before 4 p.m. Saturday.
At exit 70, just south of Pauls Valley, the suspect headed west on Airline Road, according to May. Pauls Valley Police officers assisted with the pursuit for a short time, before it ended near County Road 3220, about a mile west of I-35.
May said that was where the suspect parked his vehicle and fled into a wooded area, allegedly armed with a long gun. At some point after the suspect left his vehicle, an OHP trooper and a Pauls Valley Police officer discharged their weapons, injuring the suspect.
Neither the trooper or the Pauls Valley officer was injured.
May said Monday he had been told the suspect was in stable condition.
“These things are always difficult for the officers and for a suspect. We’re very thankful that nobody was killed,” May said. “There’s no good outcome in a pursuit. They are inherently dangerous on various levels.”
The investigation into the officer-involved shooting is being handled by OHP’s investigation division, Troop Z.
As of press time, authorities had not publicly released the suspect’s identity or the names of the officers involved.