Murley shot with .45; one bullet in arm

Alphonso Proa-Rios allegedly used a .45-caliber pistol to shoot multiple times Thursday afternoon at the head and body of Clinton Police Detective Mike Murley, papers filed by the District Attorney’s Office indicate.
Associate District Judge Jill Weedon ordered Proa-Rios held without bond during an arraignment Monday afternoon.
The accused is charged with two new felonies, assault and battery with a deadly weapon and possession of firearms after conviction or during probation, and two new misdemeanors, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. The CDS was methamphetamine.
Count 1 of the charges says Murley was hit three times in his arms rather than two as previously reported, but an affidavit of probable cause written by Special Agent Trevor Ridgeway of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation mentions only two shots in his arms with a third passing through his jacket but just missing him.
That part of the affidavit states: “As Murley approached the defendant, the defendant turned and made eye contact with Murley. The defendant pulled out a pistol and shot into the windshield of Murley’s vehicle. The defendant continued shooting at Murley numerous times, wounding Murley. Murley was shot by the defendant in both arms and one bullet traveled across Murley’s torso through Murley’s jacket just missing Murley. Murley exited his vehicle and returned fire toward the defendant.”
At that time a second police officer, Chris Cloninger, arrived on the scene for a second time. The affidavit says Murley waved him toward where the defendant had run to the south between houses and Cloninger chased after him, ordering him to the ground and taking him into custody.
In other developments in the case since Friday, television station KFOR (Channel 4) out of Oklahoma City, reported that one of the bullets which hit Murley lodged in an arm rather than passing through as initially reported. Asked about that Monday, Sheriff Kenneth Tidwell indicated it was true.
“When he was taken to the hospital in Oklahoma City, it was my understanding there was one bullet still in his arm and they decided to leave it there,” said Tidwell. He indicated doctors apparently felt removing it would do more damage than leaving it there, at least for the present.
“I don’t know what future plans are for that,” said Tidwell.
Ridgeway’s affidavit said a gun was found within feet of where Proa-Rios was arrested.
“Officers also located a pair of black brass knuckles on the defendant at the time of his arrest,” the affidavit said. “Upon the defendant being booked into the Custer County Jail, jail employees located a glass drug pipe with residue inside.”
The affidavit said four grams of a crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine were found inside the plastic wrapping of a pack of Marlboro cigarettes that were in the defendant’s pocket.
The affidavit says that when interviewed Friday, the day after the shooting, Proa-Rios did not deny shooting Murley but did deny remembering it happening. It indicated he had been riding as a passenger in a silver car that Murley was trying to stop when the shooting took place. It adds: “The defendant claimed the last thing he remembered was riding in the silver car with his friend after doing drugs. The defendant admitted to possessing a .45-caliber pistol while riding in the silver car. The defendant further stated he had the pistol for at least one month.”
During that same interview, Proa-Rios also allegedly asked the OSBI agents to apologize to Murley for him for what he had done to the officer.
The affidavit says that during the last 15 years the defendant has been convicted of “multiple felony charges.”
At the time the detective was shot, he was seeking to arrest Proa-Rios for not appearing in court on charges of possessing a CDS after former conviction of a felony, possession of a firearm AFC, knowingly concealing stolen property, and misdemeanor possession of a CDS. Those charges were filed last February.
Before the shooting, Cloninger evidently had been in the vicinity to help Murley but just prior to the shooting had diverted his attention to the driver of the car in which Proa-
Rios was riding. The affidavit did not say who that was.