A Glenwood Springs police officer shot and killed a man wanted on an outstanding warrant Monday after the man pulled a gun outside a shopping center, Police Chief Joseph Deras said.
Deras said two officers were on routine patrol around 1 p.m. when they recognized the man as someone wanted on a felony warrant related to firearms violations.
“When they contacted the individual, they were in full uniform. The person clearly recognized that they were police officers. He immediately pulled out a firearm,” Deras said during a media briefing on Monday afternoon.
The officers retreated, Deras further said an audio recording made by the Post Independent newspaper in Glenwood Springs. One officer shot the man, wounding him. As the man walked toward his vehicle, the officers moved to a second position and the officer shot the suspect again.
Deras said the man hid behind his vehicle. At the time, he said officers did not know if he was fatally wounded or was reloading his weapon. Police held their position until more officers and others arrived.
Glenwood Springs fire personnel pronounced 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 police will conduct an internal investigation, Deras said.
The stores in the mall were open. The police chief said all people in the stores are considered witnesses.
Deras said one officer fired all the shots. He said the investigation will determine how many shots were fired. The entire incident took place in the parking lot of the mall, he added.
Police found what Deras called a high-capacity firearm, which he said belonged to the suspect.
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