A Glenwood Springs police officer shot and killed a man wanted on an outstanding warrant Monday after the man pulled out a firearm outside a shopping center, Police Chief Joseph Deras said.
Deras said two officers were on routine patrol at about 1 p.m. when they recognized the man as someone wanted on a felony warrant related to firearm violations.
“As they went to contact the individual, they were in full uniform. The individual obviously recognized that they were police officers. He immediately produced a firearm,” Deras said during a media briefing Monday afternoon.
The officers retreated, Deras said on an audio recording made by the Post Independent newspaper in Glenwood Springs. One officer fired at the man, wounding him. As the man moved toward his vehicle, the officers moved to a second position and the officer fired again at the suspect.
Deras said the man hid behind his vehicle. At that point, he said the officers didn’t know if he was mortally wounded or reloading his gun. The police held their position until more officers and others arrived.
Glenwood Springs fire personnel declared the man dead at the scene, Deras said. The man was from the area, he added. No one else was injured. The Garfield County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s name.
Deras said the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is helping process the scene and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office will handle the criminal investigation.
The officer who shot the man will be placed on administrative leave and the police department will conduct an internal investigation, Deras said.
Stores in the shopping center were open. The police chief said all the people in the stores are considered witnesses.
Deras said one officer fired all the shots. He said the investigation will establish how many shots were fired. The entire incident took place in the shopping center parking lot, he added.
Police recovered what Deras called a high-capacity firearm that he said belonged to the suspect.
