Gunfight ends weeklong manhunt
Oklahoma kin-killing suspect dies in shootout with police
OKLAHOMA CITY — A gunbattle with Oklahoma troopers left a homicide suspect dead and ended a weeklong search for the man, accused of committing a string of violent crimes across the state, including the killing of two relatives and the shooting of three law enforcement officers.
Also Monday, three people — Danny Roach, Reginald Moore and April Harden, all of Oklahoma City — were arrested on several felony counts alleging they helped Michael Dale Vance Jr., the subject of the manhunt, elude authorities. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said Roach provided bandages, an assault rifle and ammunition to Vance last week.
After a tip from a farmer led authorities on Sunday to a campsite near Hammon in west Oklahoma, the manhunt intensified for Vance, who had posted two Facebook Live videos on Oct. 24 documenting his run from police, said Capt. Paul Timmons of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Several troopers were chasing Vance, who was driving a stolen flatbed truck, when the vehicle went off the road near Leedey, 130 miles northwest of Oklahoma City and 45 miles north of where he was last seen a week earlier.
“He exited the vehicle and engaged our troopers in a pretty fierce gunbattle,” Timmons said. “It’s probably safe to say [Vance] was hit more than once.”
Vance was pronounced dead at the scene, and authorities plan to release dashboard-camera video of the shooting during a news conference today, Timmons said.
Earlier Sunday, Vance shot and wounded Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sander after Sander stopped a pickup to warn the driver about a chain dragging behind it.
“The driver of the truck stopped and exited the vehicle shooting an assault rifle,” said Jessica Brown, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman. “The sheriff was shot in the shoulder and arm as he returned fire.”
After Sander broadcast a description of the pickup, Oklahoma Highway Patrol air units in the area spotted the vehicle and a chase ensued, Timmons said.
Sander underwent surgery Monday morning and is recovering from his injuries, which are not life threatening, Dewey County sheriff’s Deputy Judy Junkins said.
Timmons said authorities were tipped off to Vance’s whereabouts by a farmer who spotted a vehicle in his field that matched the description of the car the fugitive was thought to be driving.
“The vehicle was covered with brush and tumbleweeds,” Timmons said. “It appears that he had been camped out there for some time.
“Apparently by the time law enforcement made it to the scene, he had already fled the area … so we started gearing up for a full-scale manhunt.”
Vance was wanted on multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder. The hunt began after he shot and wounded two police officers on Oct. 23 in Wellston, 35 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, authorities said.
Vance, 38, was suspected of shooting a woman and stealing her vehicle at a mobile home park near Wellston, then driving about 8 miles to his relatives’ mobile home in Luther and killing them.
Ronald Everett Wilkson, 55, had been shot and had stab wounds to his neck “consistent with an attempt to sever his head,” an arrest affidavit said. Valerie Kay Wilkson, 54, had similar neck wounds along with defensive wounds on her arms, the affidavit stated.
Just days later, Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel indicated that authorities were at a loss as to where Vance might be, saying he “could be anywhere from California to Mexico to Florida.”
Whetsel has described the deaths of the Wilksons as a “rage killing” and said Vance had likely developed a list of potential targets connected to a pending sexual-assault case filed against him. Vance had been scheduled to appear in court next Monday to face felony charges of child sex abuse after a 15-year-old girl accused him of sexual assault.