Missing Arizona man found dead 1 day after a related fatal police shooting

PHOENIX – A missing Arizona man was found dead a day after a person connected to the case was shot and killed by police, authorities announced Friday.

A body confirmed to be that of Russell Vinton was located Thursday, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The announcement didn’t say where the 66-year-old Prescott man was found.

Vinton was last seen Saturday at a campsite near Jacob Lake, which is north of the Grand Canyon in Coconino County. He was reported missing, along with his truck and a camper trailer, on Tuesday.

How is case of missing Arizona man connected to police shooting?

His truck was spotted hundreds of miles away in Lake Havasu City, in a desert area near Craggy Wash.

When two Lake Havasu Police Department detectives went to investigate, a man inside the truck started firing at them, according to the Bullhead City Police Department, which is investigating the shooting.

The detectives took cover and returned fire. The suspect then started driving toward them and rammed their vehicle, police said.

The detectives continued firing and struck the suspect when he got out of the truck.

Patrick Neal Champion, 61, of Tennessee was pronounced dead at the scene.

The detectives were treated for injuries resulting from the collision and have since been released from the hospital.

It’s not clear how Champion is connected to the Vinton case.

Related

SWAT team arrests 2 women in northwest Arizona suspected in 2022 double-homicide caseMeet the Sherp, Coconino County's new all-terrain search and rescue beastSilver Alert canceled after 53-year-old Goodyear man found deadRetired Gilbert fire captain honored after dying from job-related cancerStorms make way into Valley with strong winds, scattered showers causing power outages4-year-old boy dies a month after being pulled from Phoenix apartment pool