Michael Vance was a man with nothing to lose. That is how Oklahoma law enforcement described him after the suspected sex offender shot two Wellston police officers before savagely murdering two relatives and going on the run.
After nearly a week with no sign of the fugitive, a farmer spotted Vance camping near the Washita River along Highway 34 in Hammon. After being spotted, Vance abandoned his hiding place as law enforcement agencies from around the state swarmed the area.
The next sighting of Michael Vance came a short time later, when Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sander attempted to pull over a vehicle near Leedey. The vehicle was dragging a chain, and Sheriff Sander did not realize that the armed and dangerous subject of Oklahoma's first "Blue Alert" was driving. Vance exited the stolen vehicle and immediately began shooting, striking the sheriff in the arm and shoulder.
The shooting of the Dewey County Sheriff prompted a swift chase by law enforcement that continued for about 20-25 minutes before coming to an end near Butler, where Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers "pinned him down." During an exchange of gunfire, OHP troopers shot and killed the fugitive, putting an end to Oklahoma's most dramatic manhunt in recent history.
The manhunt and the early enactment of the state's Blue Alert system were prompted by last Sunday's shooting of two Wellston police officers and the murders of Ronald Wilkson, 55, and his wife Valerie Wilkson, 54, described as relatives of Michael Vance.
The police were shot after responding to a call claiming shots had been fired. At the scene, they found a group of people displaying guns in a truck. At first, police say, the group was cooperative, but when they asked for ID's, Vance began shooting, taking cover behind the men and women in the group. Vance shot two officers and was wounded himself before fleeing in a police pickup.
From there, he drove to a trailer park and carjacked a vehicle before continuing to the Wilksons' Luther home, where he murdered the couple.
Vance was suspected of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, and had recently been released from jail after his arrest on a complaint of lewd acts with a child under 16. Police say he may have believed that the Wilksons would testify against him, prompting him to kill them. before stealing their car.
After stealing the Wilksons' Mitsubishi, the fugitive drove to Sayre, where he tried to carjack an RV. Although he shot the vehicle's owner in the leg, he was unable to steal the RV, and fled in the Mitsubishi. From there, the trail went cold. Until yesterday, no one had seen Vance since the attempted carjacking early Monday morning.
For many Oklahomans, the killing of Michael Vance by law enforcement officials brings a sense of relief. Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel calls the fatal conclusion of the manhunt "a good conclusion for the citizens of Oklahoma."
Image credit: Oklahoma Highway Patrol
