Its very uncomforting that everbody missed so much. No I don't want people to get shot but I CERTAINLY don't want bullets flying at innocent people and causing collateral damage......
No one injured in Chili's shoot-out
By James Monteleone The Daily Times
Article Launched: 03/28/2008 01:42:30 AM MDT
Click photo to enlarge«1»FARMINGTON — An apparent gang-related argument inside Chili's on East Main Street on Thursday night escalated into a parking lot shootout, the sheriff's office said. No one was injured.
At least 11 rounds were fired in the incident, including one shot from a Farmington Police officer who had been eating at the restaurant with an officer-in-training and witnessed the shootout, sheriff's Capt. Jim Smith said.
"So far, we haven't had any indication of injury," he said.
The shots were exchanged between at least three men standing outside a silver Daewoo Legacy, and at least two others outside an unidentified white vehicle nearly 20 feet away around 7:30 p.m.
As Farmington officer Jared Stock approached the scene and identified himself as police, one of the men standing outside the Daewoo pointed a weapon towards the officer, and Stock fired a single shot that missed, Smith said.
"Given a circumstance when there's deadly forced being used and the probability of somebody getting injured or killed, it's reasonable to use
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whatever force is necessary to protect the public or that officer," Smith said.
Following the police involvement, both cars attempted to flee the scene, but a passenger of the silver car was hit as his vehicle escaped. The man left behind was arrested at the scene.
The Daewoo was later found parked nearby on Gila Street, riddled with bullet holes. Two other suspects from that vehicle were located and arrested in the vicinity.
Although the unidentified white vehicle has not been located, the sheriff's office believes it has one of its passengers in custody.
Two uninvolved vehicles in the Chili's parking lot were hit by stray bullets, which required the crime scene to rope off more than two dozen vehicles as potential evidence, which prevented some drivers from leaving the crime scene. The scene was being processed past midnight.
Because a Farmington Police officer was involved in the incident, the crime was investigated by the sheriff's office while Farmington officers assisted with the scene and conducted an internal use of force investigation of the shot the city officer fired.
The identities of those arrested were not available at press time.
James Monteleone: [email protected]
