Slain Kane County deputy was ambushed, investigators say

FREDONIA, Ariz. — A Kane County sheriff's deputy shot and killed Thursday was ambushed by a suspected burglar he was chasing, investigators said Friday.

Scott Curley was waiting in the desert underneath a tree in an area he was very familiar with, said Coconino County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll. When the deputy who was "following (Curley's) tracks" came over a ridge and into Curley's view, the gunman fired at least twice at about 2:20 p.m., hitting and killing deputy Brian Harris.

The search for Curley was entering its second full day Friday night. More than 21 local, state and federal agencies from Utah and Arizona sent more than 120 officers to search for Curley. By Friday afternoon, the search area, which was originally six square miles, had expanded to all of Kanab, Fredonia, Ariz., and a desert area along the Utah-Arizona border known as the Clam Shell.

"We're not looking at how long we can sustain this effort," said Driscoll. "If he is willing to take a life, we will do everything within reason to capture him. We're not looking at reducing efforts."

Deputies have been looking for Curley since Wednesday night, when he allegedly confronted a custodian at the school in Fredonia and pointed a gun in the man's face. Curley was spotted the next day in the Kanab area, but police say he then fled to Fredonia. While in the small Arizona town, a marshal spotted him and called for backup.

Harris, 41, was one of the responding officers.

"From what we've been able to ascertain, they were tracking Mr. Curley," said Kane County Emergency Services manager Alan Alldredge. "With his knowledge of this area, it's possible he knew this could be an area to ambush the officers. He was lying in wait underneath a tree, waiting for the officers to come up over the rise."

Police believe Curley fired at least twice. One shot struck Harris from about 40 feet away. Another officer, about 150 feet away, had a bullet land right in front of him, Alldredge said.

Sheriff's deputies returned fire, but they do not believe the gunman was hit.

As officers continued to pursue Curley into a nearby canyon, there were two additional exchanges of gunfire between Curley and police, Alldredge said. Officers fired at him when they could occasionally see him through the trees.