On Jan. 5, 51-year-old Tyler Miller, of Hutchinson, Kan., was shot and killed by U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Krista Kuhns near Briar Patch Inn in Oak Creek Canyon.
The FBI took over the investigation because the shooting involved a federal officer.
While the FBI has not responded to requests for further information, Larson Newspapers acquired an 18-page Coconino County Sheriff’s Office report.
The report, comprising seven firsthand narratives by CCSO deputies, was completed on Jan. 16, but CCSO did not release the report to media outlets until this week — despite multiple requests for information over the past month.
Car Accident
At 3:46 p.m., Kuhns radioed she was just north of Briar Patch Inn, where a vehicle had left the road and crashed into the brush.
Kuhns had not yet located the patient, but she requested an ambulance.
CCSO Deputy Christie Lee Loughton was at Lake Mary and Ashurst Lake roads in Flagstaff when Kuhns’ calls came in.
Loughton radioed for a DPS unit and requested CCSO Deputy Kyle Walter respond.
Walter was assigned to Kuhns’ call at 3:46 p.m., from State Route 89A and Forest Road 532, near Fort Tuthill County Park, 23 miles north of the incident.
Naked Man
At 3:47 p.m., Kuhns radioed that a male subject, later identified as Miller, came out of the vehicle bloody, and was walking naked southbound on SR 89A.
Walter wrote in the CCSO report that he heard Kuhns give a description of the man and that “in her tone [Kuhns] was shaky and was speaking loudly, consistent with an intense situation.”
Walter activated his lights and sirens.
CCSO public relations officer John Paxton stated he was en route from the Trout Farm.
CCSO detective Kelly Barr was monitoring radio traffic when he heard Kuhns report a traffic accident. He later heard Kuhns describe “a bloodied male subject walking down the middle of the highway naked.”
‘Shots Fired’
At 3:50 p.m., Kuhns radioed, “shots fired, man down,” according to the report.
After the shots fired call came in, Loughten reported that numerous Flagstaff area CCSO units responded.
Walter wrote in the report that he heard shots fired across the radio, and he was made aware of other agencies responding to the scene, including Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Sedona Police Department and the Sedona Fire District. Barr also activated his lights and sirens and headed toward the scene.
Radio Goes Silent
Kuhns became unreadable on the radio around 3:56 p.m.
Loughton requested deputies clear the radio channel.
CCSO Sgt. John Jamison also could not reach Kuhns by phone as dispatch attempted to contact her.
While en route, Loughton contacted USFS law enforcement officer Michael Loughton and advised him of the situation.
He told Christie Loughton he also was unable to contact Kuhns by phone and added that he would inform USFS command staff of the incident.
Dispatch finally contacted Kuhns and relayed to CCSO deputies en route that she was OK.
Barr heard emergency personnel on the scene, and that Kuhns was responsive, OK and Miller was being treated by emergency personnel for gunshot wounds.
Walter also wrote he heard other agencies were on scene and deactivated his lights and sirens.
Crime Scene
With other agencies already on scene, Walter located DPS troopers D.
Cameron and Kietsayam Krueree and was told Miller had been transported to Verde Valley Medical Center and that Kuhns was “not seriously injured, although shaken,” and being treated by Sedona police.
Walter documented the scene with his body camera and saw jeans, a shirt, boots and a wallet alongside the roadway.
Larson Newspapers has requested a copy of Walter’s camera footage.
Walter, Cameron and Krueree checked the white Toyota Tacoma with Kansas plates involved in the collision, west of the highway, lying on its driver’s side.
It had suffered extensive damage and was entangled in power lines, but there were no other passengers.
Around 4:15 p.m., Barr requested Detective Tristan Meyer and evidence technician Tom Ross assist with processing the scene.
Criminal Investigations Lt. Gerrit Boeck wrote that he responded to the officer-involved shooting at 4:23 p.m., at the request of Meyer.
Barr arrived at the scene at 4:36 p.m. Barr was notified the FBI was taking over the incident and that CCSO was asked to assist.
Due to the late hour, Barr first searched for the spent bullet casings, and found them in the driveway of the Briar Patch Inn, about 22 feet apart.
Along the highway, Barr noted a pool of blood, emergency medical items such as discarded gloves from first responders who treated Miller, the shell casings, a Taser with a discharged cartridge and Kuhns’ USFS law enforcement Tahoe with emergency lights still operating.
Ross wrote he was called in at 4:30 p.m., and arrived at the scene roughly an hour later and began documenting the scene for the FBI with video and photography.
Ross also took measurements with an AIMS unit, which consists of a tripod, camera, distance meter and adjustable pole.
Meyer reported there were two crime scenes: The shooting scene and the crash scene. He began to document them for the FBI on behalf of CCSO. At the shooting scene, Meyer found a Taser with an expended cartridge, but noted the “wires of the expended cartridge appear to have been wrapped up.” Meyer found no Taser probes.
Boeck arrived at the scene at 5:15 p.m. and began questioning witnesses.
According to Barr, Boeck was told by witnesses that Miller had been throwing rocks at passing vehicles after the collision. Barr found several “softball or greater size rocks located within the roadway.” Near Miller’s truck, Barr located cash, change and a motel keycard on the ground, and wrote, “Miller may have emptied these items from his pockets after exiting the wreckage.” Farther down the road, Barr found clothing — a gray T-shirt, black jeans, brown boots, black underwear, socks and a leather belt. He also found a wet spot that appeared to be urine.
The T-shirt had blood stains and tears “consistent with someone being involved in a collision and climbing out of the wreckage.” A DPS Ranger helicopter had been called to the scene to search from the air for other passengers who might have been ejected from the crashed vehicle. Rotor wash from the helicopter blew away many of the ancillary items near Miller’s clothes, Walter wrote.
In the second search area, Barr noted the damaged windshield of the Tacoma and surmised that was how Miller extracted himself from the truck. Barr wrote the Tacoma was heading northbound, crossed the center line and exited the roadway on “an obvious vehicle path” through the brush. The crash caused damage to the overhead powerlines, some of which had been exposed and were in contact with the truck, making it too dangerous to enter until they could be safely removed in the daylight.
Upon Christie Loughton’s arrival, she wrote that “due to my past friendship with officer Kuhns,” she found Kuhns near the firetrucks on the phone with her parents.
Loughton wrote that she provided Kuhns with bags for her clothing to be taken as evidence by the FBI. She wrote that she did not touch Kuhns but “stood by as moral support.” Loughton stated Kuhns did not provide her with any information regarding the incident.
At the shooting scene, Meyer noted the evidence markers left by Walter.
Meyer began taking photos of the evidence for the investigation.
With his photo documentation complete around 8 p.m., Meyer began collecting the evidence, including taking DNA samples of the blood stains and splatters.
During this process, a woman from Briar Patch Inn entered the scene but was escorted out. Meyer wrote she did not contaminate the scene.
Boeck coordinated with FBI supervisor Brian Fuller and cleared the scene at 9 p.m., opening it back up to through-traffic. Walter wrote he left the scene at 8:57 p.m. Most of the other deputies and officers left at or before this time.
Meyer cleared the scene at 9:19 p.m.
In the days following, Loughton supplied USFS with transcripts of the radio calls, per its request.
Christopher Fox Graham can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 129, or email editor@larsonnewspapers.com
