Agents from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Washita County sheriff’s deputies talk on the front porch of the house where Sentinel Police Chief Louis Ross was shot four times.(Courtesy: The Oklahoman)
An Oklahoma man who shot the local police chief four times as cops raided his home in response to a bomb threat told FoxNews.com he didn't make the 911 warning that triggered the incident.
Dallas Horton, 29, of Sentinel, blasted Police Chief Louis Ross three times in the chest and once in the arm as Ross and his team swept through Horton's home early last Thursday. Ross survived thanks to his bullet-proof vest. But Horton, whom Sentinel's mayor described as a gun enthusiast and neighbors told reporters is a survivalist, is not facing any charges because an investigation by state police revealed he wasn't behind the threat and he did not know he was shooting at cops.
"For the past several hours, OSBI investigators have extensively interviewed the man," the state Bureau of Investigation said in a statement on its Facebook page. "Facts surrounding the case lead agents to believe the man was unaware it was officers who made entry."
Horton, who was taken into custody after the shooting, questioned and later released, told FoxNews.com he had nothing to do with whatever prompted the raid.
"I did not make the 911 call," he said, before declining further comment.
It all started at approximately 4 a.m. Thursday when a dispatcher received a 911 call about a bomb at the Sentinel Community Action Center, according to The Oklahoman. When the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's bomb squad found no explosive at the center, which houses the city's Head Start program, they showed up at Horton's home, where they believed the 911 call had originated.
After breaking down Horton's front door, Ross and deputies from the Washita County Sheriff’s Office cleared one bedroom before storming into another, where Ross was allegedly shot four times by Horton, once in the arm and three times in the chest, according to The Oklahoman newspaper. Ross survived because he was wearing a bullet-proof vest and has been treated and released from the hospital, authorities said.
Horton reportedly posted a string of controversial messages to his Facebook account shortly before the 911 call was made -- including one comparing the U.S. to Nazi Germany and posts about the terrorist group ISIS. His Facebook page has since been deactivated.
Sentinel Mayor Sam Dlugonski described Horton as a gun enthusiast, but said he doubts the shooter was connected to any terrorist group.
“I’ve known that kid all of his life,” Dlugonski said. “I don’t think he was tied to the Islamic State in any way.”
State investigators said a forensic computer analyst "examined phones taken from the home where a subject was believed to have made a threatening call to 911 Thursday morning."
"That call was not made from phones in the possession of those who live inside the home nor any other phones inside the residence..." the statement said. "The investigation into the threatening 911 call and the subsequent shooting of the Sentinel police chief remains under active investigation."
OSBI spokeswoman Jessica Brown could not be reached Monday.
It's not clear whether OSBI is investigating the possibility Horton was a victim of "SWAT-ting," a hoax in which an anonymous prankster falsely reports a crime -- often times a violent one -- at an unsuspecting person's home, prompting a police team to respond to the location believing a dangerous situation is at hand.
FoxNews.com's Cristina Corbin contributed to this report.
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