New details emerge
New details in the August 17 Wildhorse Resort and Casino shooting case have emerged in court documents, reports the Tri-City Herald. The shooter threatened to “bathe everyone in blood” but said he didn’t intend to hurt cops in the subsequent shootout.
paint a clearer picture of the shooting and suspect
The Herald reported on the new court document details Monday, which paint a clearer picture of the shooting and suspect, Javier Francisco Vigil. Earlier this month, the casino’s owners and operators, the Umatilla Confederated Tribes, confirmed the shooting via Twitter:
Vigil, 51, tried to rob the tribal Oregon casino in Pendleton in broad daylight, handing a note to a cashier demanding $1m. He made it through the casino exit with a bag of nearly $70,000 in cash, until he got into a shootout with the police.
Vigil, who is from Oregon, claims “he intentionally shot an officer’s vehicle because he did not want to hurt the officer” when attempting his getaway.
Agent files fresh documents
With the case now in the hands of the FBI, the daily stated Monday, the special agent in charge of the investigation has now filed documents surrounding the investigation. They give the most detailed account yet of how the Wildhorse shooting panned out.
Security footage reveals Vigil wore a football jersey, sunglasses, and a baseball cap during the incident. Carrying a pistol on his hip plus two extra magazines, he walked right up to the casino’s money cage and handed the clerk the written demand for the cash.
he drew his gun and aimed it at her
The casino clerk involved has since told investigators she initially laughed at Vigil, thinking the note requesting the $1m was a joke. She quickly realized he was serious when he drew his gun and aimed it at her.
The clerk triggered the alarm while handing over the cash, but not before she allegedly heard him utter boasts and threats. These supposedly included: “I’m f*cking God” and “I’m going to bathe everyone in blood.”
Making his escape with a bag of cash totaling $69,068, Vigil encountered a Umatilla Tribal Police Department officer outside the casino with whom he exchanged gunfire. A bullet wound took Vigil out of action at the scene, ending his escape plans.
Bystander hurt
Another new detail, not included in the DOJ news release issued Friday, was that a bystander also suffered injuries in the shootout. Twitter user Shaindel Beers shared an update from the Pendleton School District (PSD) on the day of the shooting confirming that a PSD staff member was injured:
While investigators have not released the identity of the PSD employee, the special agent said the shootout happened outside the casino. It is still unproven who shot the bystander.