Crime Watch
Andrea Olson
BUTTE COUNTY — A man who is facing charges in Butte County after barricading himself in a home shot “in all directions,” causing first responders to run and duck out of the way, according to court documents.
The charges
Joshua M. Flory, 44, of Moore, is being charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony drug trafficking methamphetamine. He also faces three sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon in commission of a felony.
RELATED | Sheriff’s office identifies suspect after shots fired during medical call in Butte County
RELATED | One person in custody after shots were fired at emergency crew; deputies in Butte County
The call
The incident happened on Thursday, May 30, after 8:40 a.m. Deputies were helping Lost River Ambulance with a medical call at a home in the area of 2900 North and 3375 West in Moore, which is near Arco.
Law enforcement responded due to “numerous calls” for Flory because he was “extremely paranoid” and was known to “possess many firearms,” court documents said.
According to an affidavit of probable filed by the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Dave Hansen talked with a relative and another woman outside of the home. He was told that an EMT had arrived and had gone inside the home already.
Sheriff describes what happened
As he was talking, Hansen heard a gunshot, followed by several more in “rapid succession,” court documents said.
“I could see the glass breaking from the window as bullets passed through it over the head of the (women) and I,” he wrote.
Documents said that he did not return fire at that point due to the fact that he didn’t know if the EMT had gotten out. Hansen evacuated the women and other people present from the area.
The EMT who had went inside the home was able to make it out safely and reported what happened to the sheriff.
What happened to the EMT
He said he was with another of Flory’s relatives, and they approached Flory and started talking to him. The EMT said he knew Flory from previous encounters. Flory acknowledged the EMT and said something to the effect that he knew the EMT but wanted to know who the man behind the wall was, documents said.
It’s unknown whom Flory was referring to, as “there was no man behind a wall,” according to court records.
Flory allegedly took out a black assault-style rifle he had on him and then pointed it at the EMT. The EMT and the second relative ran, documents said.
The EMT said he heard a round fire and passed a few inches from his head. He saw it hit a wall directly in front of him as he ran. Other shots were fired.
Shots fired in all directions
Over the course of the next several hours, Flory continued to fire rounds “indiscriminately” out of the residence in all directions, reports said.
At one point, deputies took cover behind vehicles.
“While behind our vehicles taking cover … a shot was fired extremely close to my head,” the sheriff wrote. He had to duck close to the ground.
The chief deputy went around the neighborhood to check to make sure nearby homes were evacuated. As she did so, multiple rounds were fired in her direction. One passed close enough to her head that she removed her hat to check to see if it had been hit, documents said. It is unknown if it was hit.
More law enforcement arrives to help
At around 10 a.m., the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of a confirmed “active shooter threat” that was ongoing. The STAR team came to assist.Click here to read about the team.
Law enforcement agencies coordinated a plan. Measures were then taken to safely see into the home, while announcements were continually made to ask Flory to surrender, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Various attempts at negotiations were unsuccessful.
He surrenders
Then, at 3:30 p.m., Flory came out the front door and was taken into custody without further incident. The home was cleared for possible explosives by the Bonneville County/IFPD Bomb Squad and then by SWAT personnel, thesheriff’s office said.
During a search warrant of the home, multiple firearms were seized, as well as body armor, components used to make explosive devices, thousands of rounds of ammunition and methamphetamine.
No injuries were reported in this entire incident, which lasted approximately seven hours.
Flory is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 14 at 9 a.m. in Butte County. He was given a $500,000 bond.
Though Flory has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
SUBMIT A CORRECTION
