Two men convicted of shooting Hopi police officers during car chase

PHOENIX — Two defendants were convicted last week of shooting Hopi police officers as they fled tribal law enforcement in 2021.

Ryan Adelbert Johnson, 39, was sentenced to 209 months in prison while Mike Duffy III, 41, was sentenced to 161 months. Both sentences will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Following a trial last fall, Johnson and Duffy were found guilty of two counts of assault with a weapon.

Johnson was also convicted of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, while Duffy was convicted of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

Since both defendants were convicted of criminal offenses, they also pleaded guilty to one count each.Elon in possession of a firearm.

In February 2021, Johnson and Duffy ran a stop sign while driving through the Hopi Indian Reservation and nearly hit a Hopi police vehicle.

As Johnson and Duffy fled the scene and refused law enforcement orders to stop, Johnson used an AM-15 rifle to shoot. against the police officers who were pursuing them, who managed to avoid being hit.

“This shooting was unjustified and threatened the lives of police officers who work every day to keep their communities safe,” said Daniel Mayo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office. “Such an attack has serious consequences, as proven by the convictions handed down against the defendants. »