CHECOTAH, Okla. (AP) — Law enforcement officers in eastern Oklahoma fatally shot a man who fired at them following a police chase along Interstate 40, authorities said.
McIntosh County deputies and Checotah police shot the man following a pursuit that began late Sunday and ended just west of Checotah, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said.
The man, whose name has not been released, had been stopped by a deputy on state Highway 69 for a traffic violation, but drove away and led police on a chase onto the interstate.
The man was “erratically driving his vehicle, sideswiping law enforcement vehicles” before driving off the interstate and running to a wooded area where he turned and opened fire, according to a statement from the OSBI.
Officers returned fire, killing the man at the scene, the OSBI said.
The OSBI said the FBI is assisting in the investigation because the shooting involved Native Americans and falls under the the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt ruling.
