Arizona Authorities Search For Suspect In Shooting, Arsons Near Payson
Arizona law enforcement continued to scour a region about 75 miles southeast of Flagstaff on Wednesday morning for a gunman who fired on U.S. Forest Service fire prevention officer.
Investigators closed off the Canyon Point Campground east of Payson on Tuesday morning, near the halfway point between Kohl’s Ranch and Heber on State Route 260. Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll said that’s where they suspect the man may be hiding.
The shooter is also suspected of starting eight small fires in the area on Monday.
Jon Paxton with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said there hasn’t been a negative effect on fire crews’ accessibility so far but that that could change.
“No, it hasn’t affected any situations right now because there’s nothing going on in the area but obviously there’s that potential if he is the one lighting these fires that would create a problem,” Paxton said.
Paxton said authorities are looking for a Hispanic man of medium height, wearing a royal blue short-sleeve shirt with a long-sleeve white shirt underneath. He is believed to be armed with a handgun and a shotgun.
