An officer-involved exchange of gunshots with a fleeing vehicle back in 2018 in Southwestern Colorado now has said officer facing felony gun charges.

The incident began after then-Montezuma County Sheriff sergeant Edward Francis Oxley pulled over a vehicle in a routine traffic stop that went south, as the driver of the vehicle fled the scene only to have Oxley pursue it.

While it was the driver of the vehicle that caused the initial incident, it was a passenger, Fordell Hill, that began firing shots upon the police cruiser pursuing the vehicle and caused the chase to turn violent.

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The chase began in Montezuma, Colorado, which is the home of Cortez, but eventually made its way over the Utah border where the perpetrators' vehicle crashed and Hill was shot and killed by Sergeant Oxley.

However, because of the types of guns and ammunition Oxley was using the sergeant has now been charged with two counts of illegally discharging a firearm, both class five felonies, and has since been fired and is now fighting the charges against him. The reasons behind this also stem from allegations stemming from an internal investigation that claims Oxley also violated three department policies during the chase that led to the incident.

Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin was not only the man behind Oxley's firing, but has accused the sergeant of shooting at or from a moving vehicle, using unapproved ammunition while on duty, and carrying unapproved ammunition.

Oxley has defended himself citing the fact that he was fired upon first and notified Utah authorities upon crossing into the state from Colorado.

[The Journal]

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