Police suspect in Utah deputy’s killing surrenders without resistance

Police capture suspect in Utah deputy’s killing

SALT LAKE CITY — A tip from a resident helped police on Monday capture a 23-year-old man who authorities say fatally shot a sheriff’s deputy and went on the run for four days in the rugged wilderness along the Utah-Arizona border.

More than a dozen officers used night vision goggles and a helicopter to find Scott Curley armed with a rifle and hiding near a house outside Kanab, police said. Curley surrendered without a fight.

The resident had reported a man who had a rifle slung over his shoulder was trying to break into the home, police said. Authorities believe Curley was looking for food.

At a news conference in Kanab on Monday, authorities said they don’t believe Curley knew officers were closing in on him just before 1 a.m., until it was too late for him to escape.

“That’s why he was taken without any trouble,” Kane County Sheriff Lamont W. Smith said. “He didn’t have anywhere to go.”

Smith said Curley appeared fatigued but didn’t require medical care.

Authorities believe the rifle was the weapon Curley used to shoot Kane County Deputy Brian Harris, 41, during a foot chase on Thursday in Fredonia, Ariz., a tiny town of about 1,100 residents south of the Utah border that receives help from other police agencies.

Curley was suspected of trying to burglarize Fredonia High School and holding a janitor at gunpoint on Wednesday night. The janitor was unharmed and Curley avoided authorities until Thursday.

Curley hid behind a tree and laid in wait with a high-powered rifle to fatally ambush Harris, opening fire from as far as 150 feet away, the Coconino County, Ariz., sheriff’s office said. Then he vanished into the rock formations and caves that make up the region’s high desert.

A telephone message left for Harris’ parents was not immediately returned Monday.

Harris was the third Utah police officer shot in confrontations with armed suspects across the state last week, but the only one to die.

Authorities said Curley suffered from depression and had few friends, but was familiar with the countryside near Fredonia.

Curley was familiar with the area and friends had told investigators that he may have stashed food and supplies in caves and cliffs. Authorities said Sunday they had found no food or water caches but were trying to determine if Curley received any help on the run.

“If we do determine if someone was providing assistance we will seek prosecution,” Coconino County Chief Deputy Jim Driscol said.

Deputies were questioning Curley early Monday. Arizona authorities say they’ll pursue extradition and prosecution on a warrant issued for first-degree murder. Curley was being held in jail in Hurricane, Utah.

It was unclear Monday whether he had an attorney.

The U.S. Marshals Service offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Curley’s capture. There was no word on the status of that reward early Monday.

Kanab is about 310 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

Driscol said the round-the-clock manhunt had taken a toll on the more the 100 police officers from state and federal agencies and on the residents of area communities. Curley’s capture brought relief, elation and smiles for the first time in days, he said.