2 injured by deputies’ gunfire in Pahrump were wanted in ‘random’ California shooting

PAHRUMP — Two Florida residents injured when sheriff’s deputies opened fire into their SUV in Pahrump early Monday were suspects in a random shooting in nearby California, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.

After shooting at “civilians” in Tecopa, Calif., the suspects — Klim Miro and Jade Hugee — continued down Highway 372, brandishing a gun at passing motorists and firing at pursuing officers with a “high-power rifle,” Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said Wednesday in a recorded video.

As the low-speed chase continued through Inyo County, Nye County deputies set up a “blockade” at the Nevada-California state line, and SWAT officers were dispatched, Capt. David Boruchowitz told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Nearly two hours after the initial shooting, the pair encountered the road block about 12:45 a.m., stopping several yards away from police cruisers, Wehrly said.

During a standoff, the suspects ignored repeated commands to exit the SUV, said Wehrly, who broadcast body-camera footage. Eventually, about 2 a.m., an armored vehicle rammed the car and officers swarmed it.

As a deputy was smashing the driver’s side door with a metal bar, Miro, 28, pointed a shotgun at the deputies, prompting three of them to shoot into the SUV, Wehrly said.

Miro, of St. Petersburg, who was sitting in the backseat was wounded by gunfire, she said. Jade Hugee, a 32-year-old Tampa Bay woman, who was sitting in a front seat, suffered cuts from shattered glass.

Both were treated at Las Vegas hospitals and expected to recover, Wehrly said.

Deputies recovered a shotgun and a Draco SKS pistol from the car, Wehrly said.

Deputies Nicholas Huggins and Elias Armendariz, and Lt. James McCrae, who fired a total of 14 rounds, were placed on routine paid administrative leave while the investigation continued, Wehrly said.

Miro is facing seven counts of assault with a deadly weapon on an officer, and one count of resisting an officer with a gun, Wehrly said. Hugee is facing one count each of resisting an officer with a gun and accessory to commit a crime.

California authorities also were expected to file charges, Wehrly said.

Prior to the shooting, the suspects had no criminal records and nothing illicit was found in the car.

“It makes no sense,” Boruchowitz said.

He said the Nevada Highway Patrol was investigating the shooting by the deputies, while the Sheriff’s Office was investigating whether the deputies followed policies and procedures.

A previous version of this story misstated the number of suspects shot.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.