Police search for man who shot and wounded Highway Patrol trooper

RENO, Nev. - A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper was recovering at Washoe Medical Center while the hunt continued for the man suspected of shooting the officer during a routine traffic stop.

Trooper Scott Swain, a 14-year veteran of the force, was in satisfactory condition at Washoe Medical Center on Thursday after undergoing surgery on his left ankle, Deputy Reno Police Chief Jim Weston said.

Reno police are handling the investigation at the request of the Highway Patrol.

On Thursday, officers searched one house and a motel room where the suspect, Jorge Trujillo, 29, had been living. He was not found.

Swain was riding a Highway Patrol motorcycle when he stopped a red Nissan Pulsar near the corner of Sixth Street and Evans around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, police said.

Swain was getting off the motorcycle when Trujillo allegedly jumped out of the car and opened fire.

At least four bullets were fired. One struck the trooper. Several people witnessed the shooting. Trujillo drove off as the officer radioed for help, police said.

The suspect's car was found less than two hours later near a house on Mill Street.

Police staked out the home overnight and stormed it early Thursday. They found no one inside. Investigators did, however, recover a weapon and other evidence related to the shooting, Weston said. Police would not say what type of weapon or what other evidence they had. Officers also searched the area around the home.

Shortly before noon, police searched a room at the Regency Motel on West Second Street, where Trujillo also had lived.

Trujillo, described as 5-foot-7 and weighing 175 pounds, is also known as "Poncho," police said. He was last seen wearing a light blue shirt, dark blue jeans and black boots.

Officers believe he has lived in Reno for a few months. Before the shooting, Trujillo already had an outstanding arrest warrant for misdemeanor spousal battery. He is now being sought for attempted murder.

The shooting is the first of an NHP trooper on duty in northern Nevada since Carlos Borland was killed during a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Lovelock in 1993.

Michael Sonner, a North Carolina jail escapee, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death in that case. He remains on death row in Ely State Prison.

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