ANETH, San Juan County — Federal and state authorities along with police from the Navajo Nation continued searching Friday for a man accused of firing multiple shots at a federal officer.
Cecil Vijil Jr., 37, was charged in federal court on Thursday with assault on a federal officer and discharging a firearm.
An FBI agent and a San Juan County sheriff’s deputy went to Vijil’s home home near Aneth, San Juan County, on the Navajo Nation on Thursday as part of an investigation into another crime.
“That’s when Vijil allegedly fired multiple rounds at the special agent and deputy. No one was injured,” according to a statement issued Friday by the FBI’s Salt Lake office. “A warrant has been issued for his arrest. A second man, Gary Lee Jr., is also being investigated in connection with the crimes.”
The FBI agent went to Vijil’s residence to question him about another shooting earlier that day, according to the federal complaint. “Vijil was suspected of shooting an AR-style rifle at a store in Mexican Hat, Utah.”
When the agent and deputy arrived at Vijil’s residence, they noticed suspicious movement from behind the residence. Because of that, the law enforcers “remained in their vehicle so as to have cover in the event of gunfire. Within seconds, Vijil reappeared from behind the residence armed with an AR-style rifle. Vijil fired multiple rounds from the rifle in the direction of (the vehicle the law enforcers were in),” the complaint states.
The officers backed up their car to take cover.
“As the vehicle was retreating, (the FBI agent) saw Vijil reposition himself and his firearm to a fencepost so as to secure a better platform for firing his rifle,” according to the complaint.
The manhunt on Thursday centered around the Navajo Reservation in San Juan County and possibly into Cortez, Colorado, according to a Facebook post from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.
The FBI stated on Friday that the sheriff’s office, the Navajo Police Department, and the Utah Department of Public Safety were assisting in the investigation.
Reports of a shooting in Aneth shut down a COVID-19 mobile testing event at the Montezuma Creek Clinic, which is the headquarters of Utah Navajo Health Systems. Montezuma Creek is about 10 miles from Aneth and both are in San Juan County but on the Navajo Reservation.
Bluff resident Leah Schrenk arrived at the Montezuma Creek clinic around 4 p.m. to find it closed. She’d hurried to the clinic from Blanding after a friend told her there was no line at the free mobile COVID-19 testing site, which planned to reopen Friday morning at the clinic.
“(She) texted me about 3:00 saying the clinic doesn’t have any lines,” she said. “I went straight there. There is a security gate at the new clinic, and the security guard told me they quit testing because there was an active shooter in Aneth.”
About 7:50 p.m., the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office posted a plea for help in finding two men last seen in Aneth.
Scores of people near Aneth took to social media Thursday night, voicing concern over the wanted men and the manhunt. Rumors swirled and residents urged each other to stay inside. “Don’t answer the door,” one resident posted.
An incident occurred in Mexican Hat, which is about 48 miles from Aneth, on Sunday at a 7-Eleven store when a clerk refused to sell beer to a customer who did not have proper identification.
The two men then left after making threats to those in the store, and then on Thursday morning, a series of shots were fired at the 7-Eleven building, triggering a search for the suspects.
“Video footage from Mexican Hat was used to trace the vehicle to the home in Aneth,” according to a story in the San Juan Record. “After the shooting in Aneth, officials found a number of shell casings that match the caliber of casings found in Mexican Hat.”
Anyone with information on the men are encouraged to call 911 or the FBI at 801-579-1400.
Contributing: Pat Reavy, Kyle Dunphey