Two Hopi reservation men have each been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for shooting at a Hopi police officer in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
On June 21, a 17-year prison sentence was handed down for Adelbert Johnson, 39, of Dilkon, and a 14-year sentence was handed down for Mike Duffey III, 41, of Ganado, the Justice Department said in a news release.
Both men were convicted of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, in addition to several firearm charges for each of the men, the DOJ said.
On February 3, 2021, Johnson and Duffey were driving in a vehicle through the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona.
According to the Justice Department, the two men are members of the nearby Navajo Nation.
Duffey was at the wheel when he ran a stop sign and nearly collided with a Hopi Law Enforcement Services vehicle, eluding police and leading to a brief chase, the DOJ said.
According to the Justice Department, Johnson shot the pursuing officers several times with an AR-15-style rifle and ignored orders to stop.
No police or residents were reportedly injured in the shooting, but police “narrowly avoided being hit,” the DOJ said.
The two men pleaded guilty and were convicted of the charges in September 2023, after a jury trial that lasted five days.
“This shooting was unjustified and threatened the lives of police officers who work every day to keep their communities safe. An attack like this has serious consequences, as evidenced by the sentences imposed on the defendants,” said Daniel Mayo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Gary Restaino said the tough sentences for Johnson and Duffey were intended to send a message about police shootings.
“This sentence sends the message that violence directed against them will not be tolerated,” Restaino said.
Both men are also convicted felons, which is an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.
After their release, they would each have to spend three years under the supervision of the probation service.
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The DOJ press release said the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office and Hopi Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Navajo and tribal law enforcement officials.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 Arizona men convicted of shooting at Hopi police officer in 2021
