The search for a missing Arizona man has led to a fatal shootout with law enforcement in Coconino County. Sixty-six-year-old Russell Vinton of Prescott was reported missing on Tuesday by his wife after failing to return from a camping trip at Jacob Lake with a friend. Later, police encountered Vinton's truck in Lake Havasu City with a man who fired upon them from inside the vehicle, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
During the incident on Wednesday, police officers fatally shot the gunman, subsequently identified by authorities as 61-year-old Patrick Neal Champion of Tennessee. The confrontation occurred after deputies located the vehicle, which was linked to the earlier missing person report and, according to 12 News, was found in an area known as Craggy Wash.
Investigators at the initial campsite had not found Vinton's vehicle or travel trailer but did come across other unspecified items that heightened their concern for his welfare. Law enforcement was later led to Lake Havasu City, where they expected clues regarding Vinton's whereabouts but instead faced unexpected gunfire. The still-missing Vinton is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
Following the shootout, an unknown number of detectives received minor injuries, they were later released from the hospital. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office is actively seeking information about Vinton or his travel trailer, a white 2017 model with the Arizona license plate 5LA50N. There is a possibility, that the plate might have been removed. A third man, initially camping with Vinton, was found safe and is not considered a suspect in Vinton's disappearance.
Anyone with information that may assist in locating Russell Vinton or his camper is encouraged to reach out to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office at 928-774-4523 or through the Coconino County Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.
