This list compiles all officer-involved shootings in Colorado since Jan. 1, 2020. For the purposes of this list, an officer-involved shooting is defined as an incident where a police officer and/or suspect discharges a firearm.
There were at least 53 officer-involved shootings in 2020. Thirty-six people died in those shootings.
Updated April 20, 2021 @ 6:43 a.m.
Previous year: 2019
December
December 28 — Two people are dead and one other was injured in a shooting near the intersection of 10th Ave. and Monaco Parkway in Denver. Department officials said officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress involving three men and a black Honda sedan. City prosecutors charged Joshua Hamm and Tameka Dudley with murder, attempted murder, robbery and burglary for their roles in the incident. Police said three people, including Hamm, 38, and Dudley, 44, posed as utility workers to get inside Mark Outman’s home at 950 Monaco Pkwy. Outman was shot and killed. A woman related to him was shot but survived. After a foot chase, Denver police killed the third suspect, Larry Hamm. The Denver Police Department said Hamm was trying to carjack someone for the third time that day, though he was unarmed at the time. All of the officers wore their body cameras, which recorded the incident. No officers were injured.
December 28 — Holyoke Police shot and killed a suspect in northeastern Colorado after attempting to stop a vehicle. Police said the suspect had an outstanding felony warrant. According to police, the suspect immediately fled from officers in the vehicle at a high speed. Officers pursued along with a Phillips County Sheriff's Office deputy. The vehicle began traveling through open fields and got stuck in a snow filled creek bed. As officers approached the vehicle, several shots were fired and the suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene. No officers were injured.
December 8 —Police shot and injured a man in Castle Rock after responding to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance involving a subject who was possibly armed with a gun, officials said. The shooting happened in front of the residence shortly after the officers arrived on the scene. The department has not provided additional details about the shooting. The suspect was transported to a hospital. Police say his injuries are not life-threatening. No officers were injured. In a letter from the Office of the District Attorney of the 18th Judicial District, dated April 12, 2021, Elizabeth Oldham, the chief deputy district attorney, determined the officers were "legally justified in their use of force."
November
November 4 — A man is dead after a police shooting near Fort Carson. Officers were perusing a suspect in a reported road rage incident, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department. Two officers followed a 33-year-old Dean Trasente Jr into a dead end. He then got out of a stolen vehicle with a gun and fired two shots at officers, officials said. Officers fired at Trasente and he was declared dead at the scene. No officers were injured. In District Attorney Michael Allen's decision letter released February 2021, Allen said the two officers who shot Trasente were justified in their use of deadly force. They were identified as Corporal Clinton Ford and Officer Ashley D’Amour.
October
October 31 — A Glendale police officer shot a man who was reportedly unresponsive in a pickup truck on Colorado Boulevard in Denver on Saturday night. After being shot, the man reportedly drove his truck in reverse and hit an unmarked Glendale police car. The man was in critical condition at the hospital. According to Denver police, who are investigating the shooting, the man was unresponsive in his vehicle when officers approached him. No other details were released.
October 11 — Both a suspect and an officer were injured after a shooting in Grand Junction. At 12:36 p.m., a 911 call reported the possible location of a stolen vehicle. Grand Junction Police officers responded. While trying to stop the driver of the vehicle, an officer was hit by the car and the shooting occurred. It is unclear who fired weapons and how the suspect was injured.
October 6 — One person was injured after a police shooting in the town of Sterling in northeast Colorado. The shooting occurred near South 6th Ave. and Cheyenne Blvd, but the Sterling Police Department has not released any additional information about what police were responding to or who the injured person is. They were transported to Sterling Regional Medical Center and their condition is unknown. No officers were injured.
September
September 26 — Denver police shot a man who was allegedly carrying a butcher knife while walking down 37th Avenue toward Vine Street around 1:30 p.m. According to the Denver Police Department, when an officer responded, the man "approached the officer in a threatening manner." The officer fired his gun, striking the man. He was taken to the hospital and his condition is unknown.
September 18 — Lakewood police shot and killed a male suspect after a deadly shooting outside the Walmart at 4th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard. A man in his 20's or 30's was shot and killed in the parking lot, and officers were able to track down the suspect nearby. Officers then shot the suspect. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
September 15 — Denver Police shot and killed a man near the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Iliff Avenue. Division Chief Ron Thomas said police responded to reports of someone with a gun and saw a man fitting the description they received. The officers began issuing commands to the man but he disregarded them and drew the weapon, Thomas said. The officers then discharged their weapons, critically wounding the man. The man was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was later identified as Mac McPherson, 22. In January 2020, District Attorney Beth McCann found the officers involved were justified in their use of force and no charges were filed against them.
September 12 — Police shot and killed a man near West Colfax in Denver in the early morning hours on Saturday. They declined to release any other identifying information about the man. Sheriffs deputies in Adams County started to pursue him in a white Ford SUV for a traffic infraction. The chase led into Denver, where the driver began shooting at officers, Thomas said. Denver police and Adams County deputies stopped the car, and the driver and a female passenger got out and fled; the driver was armed. Officers ordered him to drop the gun; officers say he didn't, and they fired. Investigators from Denver and Aurora say they will work with Denver's independent monitor. The female passenger was not physically injured.
September 9 — Denver police shot and killed a man who they said was threatening people with a handgun on the west side of the city. The shooting happened near West High School. The man was waving a gun and had attempted to carjack someone when police approached him, according to officials. Two officers fired their weapons when he wouldn't drop a gun, police said. At least one officer's bullets struck the man. He later died at the hospital. No officers were injured.
August
August 15 — A man was shot and killed after police say he stabbed a Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Police officer near the National Western Center. Denver Police Division Chief Ron Thomas said the officer contacted a man who was trespassing on BNSF property shortly before 9 a.m. After finding the man was wanted on a felony warrant, police say the man stabbed the officer, who shot and killed the man. The officer was later released from the hospital.
August 11 — One woman is dead after a shooting with police night in Pueblo. Police responded to a report that an armed woman had entered a home and threatened the residents, according to the Pueblo Police Department. When police arrived at the home, one elderly male resident was still inside with the suspect. She came out of the house and refused to drop her firearm, officials said. Three officers fired at the woman and she died at the scene.
August 10 — A Longmont Police officer shot at a man who was trying to flee in a stolen vehicle, according to police. The 30-year-old man was not hurt and was arrested. Police were responding to calls reporting a man attempting to access vehicles and entering garages. They arrived to find the suspect in the process of stealing a vehicle, the department said. The suspect then reversed the vehicle in the direction of officers. One officer discharged his weapon. No one was injured.
August 5 — Colorado Springs Police responded to reports of a man firing a weapon on the north side of the city. Three officers attempted to contact the suspect when he began firing at them, according to police. The officers returned fire. The suspect fled the scene. No officers were injured, but it is unclear if the suspect was. Police are searching for the suspect.
July
July 27 — Two Aurora police officers were shot and hospitalized after exchanging gunfire with a suspected burglar in Denver’s Green Valley Ranch neighborhood. They have non-life-threatening injuries. Police followed the burglary suspects to a parking lot where one tried to carjack a vehicle, according to Denver Division Chief of Patrol Ron Thomas. Shots were fired. Two officers and one suspect were shot. The suspect is being treated at Denver Health. It was not clear whether Denver police officers fired at the suspect.
July 11 — Police say a person was shot and killed after fleeing from the Colorado State Patrol and entering a home in Monument. Colorado Springs police are investigating Saturday's shooting. They say it happened after state troopers tried to stop the person on Interstate 25 in response to a menacing report near Larkspur. They say the driver crashed into a guardrail after getting off the highway and unsuccessfully tried to carjack a nearby vehicle. After then entering the home, police say the person allegedly fired at least one round at troopers and El Paso County sheriff's deputies. They say a deputy and one trooper fired back.
July 10 — One person was injured in an officer-involved shooting in Longmont. The shooting happened at about 1 a.m. in an apartment complex on Martin Street. No officers were injured. District Attorney Michael Dougherty decided in August not to file charges against the two Longmont Police officers who shot and injured Antoinio Armstrong. He said in a decision letter that Nathan Miller and Brian Macchione were justified in their use of deadly force. Armstrong pointed a weapon at police and the officers discharged their weapons, according to the letter. Later investigation found Armstrong had a bb gun designed to look like a real handgun.
June
June 30 — Police in southwestern Colorado shot and killed a burglary suspect who reportedly opened fire on an officer at an auto parts store. Police went to the O'Reilly Auto Parts store on Main Street after being alerted by a security alarm. Police said 34-year-old Jason Noble Snow shot at an officer through the glass front doors of the business. The officer returned fire, killing him. No officers were injured. Investigators are also looking for a woman possibly involved in the burglary. Her name is Terrianne Paige Hiehle.
June 23 — Pueblo Police shot and killed 43-year-old Kevin Pulido. He was shot by three officers on the city's south side. Residents reported that a man believed to be Pulido approached them and asked if they had seen any police officers, officials said. Witnesses said the man told them police were looking for him so he was going to look for them. He then pulled a handgun, racked it and walked away, according to police. Pulido pointed a gun at an officer's vehicle and was shot by other responding officers as he walked toward them, investigators said.
June 22 — Aurora police shot and killed a carjacking suspect after the suspect pointed a gun at them, according to the Aurora Police Department. The shooting happened near the intersection of East 35th Place and Sable Boulevard. Officers were called to a carjacking and kidnapping at a liquor store in Denver. They traced the vehicle to Aurora, where the suspect, David Guillen, 22, of Denver, brandished a gun, investigators said. Five Denver officers and one Aurora officer opened fire, killing the suspect. The vehicle's owner, who was still with the car, was not injured.
June 18 — Westminster police shot and killed a man while serving an arrest warrant. SWAT team members were attempting to arrest a 38-year-old man wanted on assault and burglary charges. They said when they entered an apartment the man came at officers with a gun when two officers shot him. He later died at a nearby hospital. Westminster police said they do not currently have body cameras for officers, but that they are moving to implement them.
June 9 — A suspect was killed and an officer was injured during a shooting at the Englewood light-rail station. According to a letter of review by the district attorney, the suspect, Marucs Uribe, had an argument with his girlfriend which resulted in her calling 911 to report that she had been assaulted. She also reported that Uribe was armed with a handgun. The responding officers located Uribe at the light rail station. Police said Uribe immediately fired multiple rounds at them. Officer Lauren Riddle was struck twice in the abdomen. Officers Riddle and Dan Raddell returned fire, wounding Uribe. Officer Dirk Smith approached Uribe. Uribe reached for his handgun and Smith shot him a final time. Uribe died at the hospital. Riddle, was later released from the hospital. The district attorney decided in December 2020 that all three officers were justified in their use of deadly force.
May
May 28 — Arapahoe County Sheriff's deputies shot and killed a suspect, later identified as Steven Ferguson, while investigating what they say was criminal activity. No deputies were injured. Two deputies who were involved in the shooting near I-25 and Dry Creek Road were placed on administrative leave. On June 12, District Attorney George Brauchler declined to press charges against either Deputy James Stiltner or Deputy Draper, whose first name was not disclosed by Brauchler's office. Brauchler's office said Stiltner's actions were lawful because the car Ferguson was driving was reported as stolen, Ferguson rammed a police officer and Ferguson had a pistol in his possession, which authorities said he grabbed from his waistband.
May 26 — Thornton police shot and killed a man Tuesday night after officers say the man and an officer exchanged gunfire. Authorities said around 11 p.m., an officer encountered a suspicious man in the parking lot of the Thornton Infrastructure Maintenance Center. The two exchanged gunfire and the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they recovered a handgun at the scene and that no officers were injured.
May 25 — An off-duty Palmer Lake police officer was arrested on suspicion of shooting a colleague. Authorities responded to a shooting at his Sedalia home, where another Palmer Lake officer was found wounded, officials said. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said 38-year-old Brian Saltzman was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, prohibited use of a weapon and reckless endangerment. The arrest affidavit said Saltzman had been drinking for several hours at a party for his fellow officers and friends when he fired one round behind him toward an outdoor patio area without looking. According to court documents, the bullet hit a female officer in the right leg. She is in the hospital in stable condition. Saltzman was released on bond.
May 22 — A Teller County Sheriff's deputy shot and injured a suspect around 9 p.m. on Friday, May 22. Two deputies saw a man who matched the description of someone who was wanted for felony menacing near the intersection of County Road 94 and Teller County Road 32. According to a sheriff's office press release, the suspect pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the deputies. One of the deputies fired at least once and struck the suspect, who was then taken to the hospital with injuries. The two deputies have been placed on routine administrative leave. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is the lead investigative agency for this officer-involved shooting.
May 15 — A Pueblo police officer shot and killed one suspect and injured another while investigating a stolen vehicle in the early morning, according to a press release from the department. The sedan was occupied by a male driver and a female passenger. The incident is still under investigation but at one point the officer was dragged by the stolen vehicle, according to the department. The officer fired and struck both the man and the woman. The man died at the scene. The woman is in serious condition at a hospital. The officer was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
May 9 — A Colorado State Trooper shot and killed a suspect outside Grand Junction. The shooting happened on Highway 50 and 29 Road in Orchard Mesa, according to Mesa County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Blake White. The trooper was not hurt. District Attorney Dan Rubinstein announced later in May that Trooper Jason Wade will not face charges for killing 33-year-old Jayne Thompson. Rubinstein determined Wade acted in self-defense based on video and audio evidence and witness interviews, he said. An investigation found Thompson pulled a knife from her waistband and Wade shot her when Thompson lunged at him, authorities said. Correction: This entry has been updated to reflect that Thompson, a transgender woman, used Jayne as her first name. The District Attorney's investigation identified her by her birth name and the gender she was assigned at birth.
May 9 — A man eluding police was shot and killed by Clear Creek County deputies after they say he emerged from the car he purposely set on fire and brandished a gun. No deputies were injured. Idaho Springs police attempted to stop a silver Saturn for traffic-related reasons, when the vehicle fled, according to Undersheriff Bruce Snelling with the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office. Idaho Springs police called off the pursuit, but about 10 minutes later, Clear Creek Deputy’s spotted the vehicle on Colorado 103 and pursed the Saturn again. Snelling said during the second pursuit, the suspect set the inside of his vehicle on fire. The car was stopped and the driver flashed a gun. Shots were fired, and the suspect was killed. The man was later identified as 57-year-old Darrin Jon Patterson. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The county announced June 30 that the case will be sent to a grand jury. The grand jury concluded in August that no officers would be charged in the shooting, but recommended better mental health resources be made available to people in law enforcement crisis situations.
May 6 — Police shot and killed an armed suspect in Commerce City. According to police, Commerce City, Denver and Department of Corrections officers were looking for a male suspect. They encountered him in an apartment building parking lot near Rocky Mountain Arsenal. The man was wanted for a violent crime and was armed with a handgun, officials said. Shots were fired and he was hit multiple times. The man died at a hospital. No additional information about the shooting has been released.
May 3 — A man is dead after Sterling Police tried to pull him over. Sterling Police tried to pull over a vehicle after recognizing the driver in connection to a shooting that occurred April 30, according to police. The man sped off and Sterling officers followed. The chase ended in a crash. A Sterling officer fired at the man who died at the scene.
May 1 — Denver police shot a man on West Colfax Avenue, near Mile High stadium. The following day, Denver police confirmed the man died. Police later identified the man as 21-year-old William Lamont Debose. According to officials, the shooting took place in the parking lot of the Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales Branch Library on West Colfax Avenue and Irving Street. Debose allegedly fled a traffic stop then stopped and got out of the vehicle near the library. Police approached Debose and a woman walking with him. He initially followed police directions but then ran back toward the parked car. He then pulled out a handgun from his waistband and pointed it toward an officer, prompting an officer to draw his gun and open fire, police said. Debose was struck multiple times and later died at a hospital. Police officials said officers at the scene recovered a loaded, semi-automatic 9mm next to Debose.
April
April 23 — A Colorado Department of Corrections officer accused of fatally shooting a teenage suspect in the back will not face charges. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann decided not to file criminal charges against the DOC Criminal Investigator Desmond Manning, saying she could not prove that he was guilty of murder, according to 9News reporting. Alexis Mendez-Perez, 16, died after fleeing from a home he and others were suspected of breaking and entering. According to police, Mendez-Perez jumped a fence and through the yard an adjoining home, owned by Manning. Manning was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder but was later released.
April 22 — An officer from the Baca County Sheriff's Office shot and killed a man while responding to a report of an armed suspect allegedly making threats. The incident took place at a home outside of Springfield in southeastern Colorado. An officer began to negotiate with the armed individual, later identified as 31-year-old Christopher Lawson, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Several hours later, Lawson was shot after allegedly pointing a firearm at officers, CBI said. He was pronounced dead after receiving medical attention at the scene. No officers were injured.
April 19 — Colorado Springs officers shot and killed a man who pointed a rifle at them. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said a woman called police to report a domestic disturbance around 10 p.m. Authorities say that when officers arrived at the scene, a man ran inside a home, grabbed a rifle and pointed it at them. Four officers then fired their weapons, striking the man. He was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries and later died. The man was later identified as 28-year-old Fort Carson soldier Sgt. Virgill Thorpe. He was a Cavalry Scout with the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. The four officers involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave. The officers were identified as Cpl. Joseph Somosky, Eddie Nassar, Kristofer Czajkowski and Charles Warren. No officers were injured.
April 9 — Two Kiowa County sheriff's deputies were involved in the fatal shooting of a man after a traffic stop. According to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the deputies got into a confrontation with a man and the suspect was tased before being fatally shot. No law enforcement officers were injured. The man was later identified as 39-year-old Zachary Gifford. The officers, Undersheriff Tracy Weisenhorn and Deputy Quentin Stump, were put on administrative leave.
March
March 17 — Grand Junction police shot and killed a man they say had a gun outside his residence. Officers responded to a call of a man brandishing a knife and gun at people playing basketball at a middle school. Authorities said attempts to reach the man inside his residence failed and that when he finally came out of his house, he had what appeared to be a gun. Police then shot the man, who later died at a hospital. No officers were injured. The man was identified as 51-year-old Steve Alire. The officers involved were Grand Junction Police Officers Thomas Wihera and Thomas Nelson and Mesa County Deputies Shaver Hansen and Jason Bailey. The district attorney announced in July that no charges would be filed against the officers for their deadly use of force.
March 14 — A Pueblo County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a carjacking suspect. According to the sheriff's office, deputies responded to a report from a woman who said a man pointed a gun at her and took her car near the Pueblo Youth Center. After a police chase through downtown, the suspect, later identified as 20-year-old Jesse Cedillo, crashed the stolen vehicle a light pole, police said. According to authorities, the suspect fled and officers pursued. At one point, police said the man advanced toward deputies with a gun in his hand. A deputy fired and the suspect died at the scene. No officers were injured.
March 2 — Fountain police shot a man, Tyler Frisch, who was suspected of car theft in Colorado Springs. Police said they were responding to reports of a stolen vehicle when they reportedly told the man to get out of a car. The armed man got out and ran into a residential area and fired a weapon into the air, authorities said. At least one police officer returned fire. Authorities said the man was hospitalized. Officials announced in late April that the officer who shot the man in the abdomen will not face charges.
March 1 — A suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Pueblo. The suspect tried to carjack multiple people with an AR-15 style rifle including an off-duty Pueblo County deputy, according to Pueblo Police. The deputy and another officer who arrived at the scene both fired at the suspect. The suspect died at the scene. No officers were injured.
February
Feb. 27 — An off-duty Colorado Springs Police officer shot and killed a man. Police said a man approached the officer's personal vehicle in a fast-food drive-thru and told him that he had a gun. The off-duty officer fired at least one shot at the man, killing him, investigators said. El Paso County district attorney’s office announced in July that Officer Lucas Aragon was justified in the shooting, acting in self-defense, and he won’t face criminal charges. The incident review said the man, Desmond Hayes, opened a rear door and got into the back seat, demanding: “Take me where I want to go or you’ll get hurt.” Hayes also reportedly told Aragon: “I have a gun.” Hayes had his hand in his pocket and pointed an object at Aragon, the review said. Minutes before, Hayes allegedly stole beer during a robbery at a nearby Loaf ‘N Jug store. Aragon was previously cleared in another officer-involved shooting in Colorado Springs in 2019.
Feb. 26 — Greeley police shot and killed a man after officers stopped a car in the 100 block of 14th Avenue that they say was suspicious. When they approached a vehicle with two people inside around 1 a.m., officers saw a gun on the driver's lap, police said. The driver was later identified as 30-year-old Ramiro Carrasco. The officer told Carrasco to keep his hands up until a backup unit arrived, authorities said in a news release. They said Carrasco disregarded the commands and moved a hand toward the gun in his lap. An officer then fired. Authorities said the officers gave Carrasco first aid but he later died at a hospital. Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke announced in May that the Greeley officer was justified in shooting Carrasco. Officials decided not to name the officer, citing Carrasco's ties to gangs.
Feb. 21 — Arvada Police officers shot and killed a man while responding to a domestic violence call in Arvada. Officers arrived to find a deceased female stabbing victim and an armed male suspect, who was killed by police. No officers were injured. The female victim was later identified as 40-year-old Katrina Perez. The suspect in her death was later identified as 40-year-old Manuel Arebalo.
Feb. 14 — Commerce City police shot and killed a suspect. Around 6 a.m., police responded to several calls about shots being fired near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Officials say that after officers tried to stop a suspect vehicle, a short chase ensued and officers ended up shooting and killing a suspect who has not been identified. No officers were injured in the shooting.
Feb. 13 — A Weld County sheriff's deputy shot and injured a suspect near Longmont. Officials said the deputy spotted a car associated with a person wanted on a felony near a hotel around 5 p.m. The deputy and two Firestone police officers contacted the suspect and shots were fired. The suspect, later identified as Sarah Jesser, was taken into custody. No officers were injured. The Weld County District Attorney announced in March that no charges would be filed against the officer who shot her.
Feb. 2 — Grand Junction police officers were involved in a shooting overnight that left a person with serious injuries. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office says the person was transported to the hospital, but they wouldn't say if officers fired their weapons. No police were injured in the shooting, and the suspect's condition is unknown.
January
Jan. 25 — A Denver police officer shot and killed an armed robbery suspect in Aurora. Aurora police say Denver officers pursued the man and two other suspects into their city. They say he carjacked two other vehicles while they pursued him. The circumstances around the shooting are unclear, but the man later died at an area hospital. Two other people in the car, a woman and a juvenile male were arrested at the scene. An investigation is ongoing. Neither the man's name nor that of the involved officer have been released.
Jan. 22 — Arvada police were involved in a shooting that left one suspect dead. It happened near 56th Avenue and Marshall Street in Olde Town. Officers were responding to a domestic violence call after reports of a man hitting a car and other things with a metal pipe outside a woman's home. Authorities say the police shot the man when he pulled out a knife. The woman inside the home was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. No police officers were injured.
Jan. 22 — Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies shot a man after stopping a car with suspected car thieves inside. Officers said they stopped the vehicle in Aurora near Parker and Arapahoe roads around 8 p.m. to try to arrest the suspects inside. In the process, one suspect was shot and one deputy was injured. A second suspect in the car was arrested and a third remains at large. The shot suspect, identified as Diego Gallegos, was hospitalized. The district attorney announced in June 2020 that Deputy Trevor Cuaz will not face charges for shooting Gallegos. The decision letter said Cuaz and Deputy Alan Wilson were attempting to contact Gallegos when the suspect backed a Chevrolet Silverado into Wilson, pinning him. Cuaz then fired eight shots “to protect Deputy Wilson and himself,” according to the letter. Gallegos was hit three times. A bullet grazed his head and his chest and another bullet penetrated his left arm. He survived and was taken into custody.
Jan. 12 — Police officers in Wheat Ridge shot and killed a man suspected of bank robbery after a two-hour standoff at a motel. SWAT officers arrived at a motel early in the morning and tried to talk 52-year-old Thomas Charles Snyder II into surrendering, according to Lakewood Police. Officers entered a room and Snyder ignored multiple commands to drop his handgun, officials said. Police said he was shot by two officers. Snyder was suspected of robbing a bank in Longmont on Jan. 11.
Jan. 11 — Colorado Springs police are looking for a suspect that shot and injured an officer during a traffic stop. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office said in a press release that the male driver shot at two officers, who then returned fire. The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Randy Bishop, was being pulled over for an expired license plate registration, police said. He was wanted by police for stealing and firing a detective's gun at a hospital and then stealing a car in November. One officer was shot and hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Police announced Tuesday that Officer Beau Becker was released from the hospital. Bishop drove away and was later involved in a crash, police said. He then fled on foot.
Jan. 11 — I-70 was closed both ways for several hours outside Glenwood Springs because of a shooting involving a law-enforcement officer. The Garfield County Sheriff's office has not released any additional information about the shooting. It is unclear if anyone was injured.
Jan. 8 — Aurora police were involved in a shooting near Buckley Air Force Base. They were responding to a call about suspicious parties in a stolen vehicle, according to the Aurora Police Department. Officer Darryll Huntsman responded to the area and located a Honda CRV in front of 17601 East Tennessee Place. He was the first officer to arrive on scene. Huntsman approached the vehicle with his handgun drawn. According to a review by District Attorney George Brauchler, Huntsman observed the occupant of the vehicle “pop up” in the backseat and raise a black object in his hand. Officer Huntsman thought it was a handgun and fired one round through the front windshield of the vehicle, hitting what was later determined to be a cell phone in the suspect's hand. The 15-year-old suspect sustained a minor blister wound to the finger and was taken into custody. Brauchler decided in June 2020 that Huntsman was justified in his actions.
Jan. 6 — A Denver police officer shot and killed a man on an interstate ramp in Aurora. The man was driving a stolen vehicle when an officer encountered him in Denver and followed him to I-225 and Iliff Avenue in Aurora, according to Denver Division Chief Ron Thomas. After Police made a traffic stop, the man exited his vehicle and threatened officers with a gun, officials said. An officer then shot and killed him. The suspect was later identified as Nico Descheenie and the officer was identified as Denver Police Officer Joseph Heckenkamp. District Attorney George Brauchler decided in June 2020 that Heckenkamp was justified in his use of deadly force in the incident.
Jan. 1 — Police shot and killed a man in Denver's Westwood neighborhood. A Denver Police spokesperson said multiple officers responded to a call that came in at 12:50 a.m. Denver Police identified the man killed on New Year's Day when he allegedly lunged at them with a knife as 20-year-old Gerardo Antonio Conchas-Busto. According to authorities, a roommate told police that Conchas-Busto attacked and threatened him with a butcher knife. Police said one officer fired one round and another fired five at Conchas-Busto during a home sweep. It's unclear how many times the man was hit. The incident was captured on the officers' body cameras and a butcher-style knife with a 10-inch blade was recovered at the scene, police said.
You can find the list of officer-involved shootings in 2019 here.
