Crime and Public Safety |

2017 Colorado officer-involved shootings

The Denver Post has compiled a list of officer-involved shootings that have happened since Jan. 1. An officer-involved shooting is one in which either police officers or suspects fire shots and someone is injured or killed. 

December

• Dec. 31: A gunman who killed a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy and wounded four other law enforcement officers died in a shootout after deputies came to his apartment to investigate a noise complaint. Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the suspect ambushed the officers. The suspect fired at least 100 rounds from a rifle after he barricaded himself inside a bedroom. The deputies were all wearing bulletproof vests but were struck in unprotected parts of their bodies, Spurlock said. Deputy Zackari Parrish, 29, was killed. Deputies Mike Doyle, Taylor Davis and Jeffrey Pelle were wounded. Castle Rock police officer Tom O’Donnell also was injured. Two people in adjacent apartments also received non-life threatening injuries.
• Dec. 31: A Weld County sheriff’s deputy shot an armed suspect after a chase. The deputy was working a DUI shift at 2:41 a.m. and observed a vehicle speeding on Colorado 52 and College Avenue in Fort Lupton. When the driver refused to stop, the deputy gave chase. The sheriff’s office said the suspect was armed with a handgun. The deputy was not wounded. The suspect’s condition was not released. On Feb. 28, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke issued a letter saying Deputy Holcomb Nicholson was justified in shooting 54-year-old Michael Nash after a car chase. Rourke did not not release any other details of the investigation, citing pending litigation as the reason. Nash faces charges of felony menacing, felony vehicular eluding, driving under the influence, prohibited use of a weapon and harassment in connection with the incident, said Krista Henery, a spokeswoman for the district attorney.The harassment charge stems from a fight Nash allegedly had with a woman on the same night, according to court documents.
• Dec. 24: Castle Rock police officers shot a suicidal suspect. The suspect had a gun, which forced officers to fire. The suspect’s injuries were not life-threatening, police said.
• Dec. 21: Greeley police officers shoot, kill man suspected of stealing a car. The Weld County Sheriff’s office said Greeley police found the stolen red 2018 Chevy Cruze in a ditch in west Evans. When officers talked to a bystander who had offered to help get the vehicle out of the ditch, they learned Jose Angel Aguero Jr., 26, was in the man’s truck. When police tried to talk to Aguero, he ran. Officers tried to stop him using non-lethal bean bag rounds. When Aguero allegedly pulled a gun, the officers shot him. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
• Dec. 13: Northglenn police officers shoot at two suspects in stolen car as it accelerates towards them, killing one and wounding the other.
• Dec. 7: Adams County deputy shoots, kills man after altercation with domestic violence suspect. The mother of Kyler “KyKy” Grabbingbear said the deputy should have used his Taser to control her unarmed son, who panicked and ran when he saw a law enforcement officer because he was wanted on a minor crime.
• Dec. 2: A Colorado Springs police officer shot and killed a man. Christopher Louis Willard, 33, died after he resisted arrest and brandished a BB pistol, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said. Two officers tried to arrest Willard on a misdemeanor theft charge.

November

• Nov. 26: State officials are investigating a shooting involving deputies from the Fremont County Sheriff Department. Agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation will investigate the shooting, including how many deputies fired gunshots and the circumstances leading to the shooting. The condition of the person who was shot by deputies has not been released.
• Nov. 25: A Denver police officer shot Mauricio Venzor-Gonzalez three times after Venzor-Gonzalez fired first. He was the passenger in a car that fled from a traffic stop and then crashed. He ran from the crash and was chased by Officer Mark Hillers. When Venzor-Gonzalez shot at Hillers, the officer returned fire. Venzor-Gonzalez continued running and Hillers continued the pursuit. They exchanged a second round of gunfire and Venzor-Gonzalez kept running and escaped from police. He hid for two days in a Aurora house without medical treatment before he was arrested following a standoff. Venzor-Gonzalez has been charged with two counts of first-degree criminal attempt to commit murder, one count of first-degree assault of a peace officer and one count of possession of a weapon by a previous offender. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann said Hillers was justified in shooting at Venzor-Gonzalez because he fired first.
• Nov. 10: An off-duty Denver police officer shot an alleged intruder at his Littleton home. Kerry Dean Hughes died of a gunshot wound to the chest, the Arapahoe County coroner said.
• Nov. 10: A Denver police officer shot a man accused of robbing a bank on the 16th Street Mall as he tried to flee down a nearby alley. John Bazemore III, 25, was pronounced dead later that day at Denver Health Medical Center. On March 21, 2018, the Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced no charges would be filed against Officer Brent Cairns in the case. Cairns, a five-year veteran, was justified when he fired two shots at John T. Bazemore because Bazemore pointed a .25-caliber pistol at the officer, according to a letter released by McCann. Bazemore, 25, had been cornered in an alley on the mall after he robbed ANB Bank at 600 16th St. while wearing a mask and brandishing a pistol, the letter said. Cairns had grabbed Bazemore’s arm to apprehend him when the suspect pointed the gun at Cairns’ stomach from point-blank range.
• Nov. 4: Parker police shot and killed a man at a Parker apartment complex after he allegedly exchanged gunfire with three officers. Michael Wayne Marin, 35, of Montrose, died at a hospital. No officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire. Officers initially responded to a report that Marin had been knocking on apartment doors. Officers discovered Marin’s vehicle had been reported stolen from Mesa County and saw a mobile gun safe inside, police spokesman Josh Hans said. Hans said the suspect’s handgun was recovered on scene. Marin was on a top 10 wanted list out of Grand Junction and was facing prison time for aggravated robbery and other charges. He also had methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system when he repeatedly pointed a gun at three officers who were pursuing him in an apartment complex on Twenty Mile Road. Those things provide context to the situation that led to three officers firing fatal shots at Marin, a letter from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said. Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacob Edson determined Parker officers Gregory Moreno, Bradford Bankston and Eric Graham will not face criminal charges in the shooting because Marin was the aggressor, and the officers reasonably believed their lives were in danger.

October

• Oct. 29: Multiple Arapahoe county sheriff’s deputies shot a retired deputy in the parking lot of the sheriff’s department after he pointed a gun at an on-duty officer. Mark Bidon, 50, was shot by multiple deputies around 9:45 p.m., after he backed a vehicle into the exit of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Department at 13101 E. Broncos Parkway in Centennial.
• Oct. 28: Greeley officers fatally shot a man who had backed into a police vehicle and brandished a handgun out of the driver’s side window during an 8-minute chase. Danny Sanchez, 40, had warrants for a parole violation for escape out of the Department of Corrections, a felony warrant out of Larimer County for menacing and previous offender in possession of a weapon, and driving despite losing his license for previous DUI arrests. On Jan. 2, 2018, the Weld District Attorney’s Office issued a report clearing the officers in the shooting. The DA’s office also determined the weapon Sanchez brandished was a realistic-looking BB gun, but that it was unrealistic for officers to be able to make that determination.
• Oct. 11: A Las Animas County Sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a man who attacked the officer when he responded to a report of a backyard fire. Deputies encountered Kristian Martinez  outside the home. Martinez attempted to flee and when the deputy tried to restrain him, he attacked the deputy and was fatally shot.
• Oct. 6:  A Colorado State Patrol trooper shot and killed a man in Jefferson County after a chase. A pickup truck driver, who had been fleeing the trooper, lost control and drove off the road. Shots were fired and the driver was declared dead at the scene. The trooper was not injured.
• Oct. 1: Fort Collins police responding to a report of a suspicious circumstance  at a hotel shot and killed George Randall Newman. None of the officers will face charges, according to a letter from District Attorney Clifford Riedel. Newman had fired a gun through the floor of his hotel room, and the shot went through the roof of the room below. Officers called Newman’s hotel room phone, but he didn’t answer. The officers soon determined that a 3-year-old girl was in the room with Newman. Concerned for the girl’s safety and the safety of others, three officers approached the door of the room and knocked. Initially, there was no answer. After a second knock, Newman opened the door armed with a sawed-off shotgun, according to the DA’s letter. Commands were yelled at Newman to drop the weapon and show his hands. Newman did not comply, according to the letter.

September

• Sept. 27: Adams County sheriff’s deputies wounded a suicidal man who fired at least one shot at them. On Feb. 7, 2018, 17th Judicial District Attorney Dave Young announced criminal charges would not be filed against the three deputies who wounded the man after the shootout at his home. The wounded man, Troy Coen, told investigators he had decided he did not want to live anymore and had hoped the deputies would kill him. Instead, Coen was wounded in the chest and shoulder but survived. He faces four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree assault and three counts of menacing. The officers cleared of wrongdoing are Sgt. Chris Eye, Senior Deputy Dustin Ball and Deputy Lance Kestel, according to a letter Young addressed to Adams County Sheriff Michael McIntosh. The deputies were called to Coen’s neighborhood after a resident reported that a man in a red pickup truck had pointed a gun at her husband. The resident told police they suspected it was their neighbor Coen, and the red pickup was parked in Coen’s driveway. Coen, 55, later told police he was angry at the neighbors because he suspected their son had stolen marijuana plants from his backyard, the DA’s letter said.
• Sept. 22: An Adams County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a man following an altercation near the Mile High Flea Market at East 88th Avenue and Brighton Road.
• Sept. 21: A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a driver during a confrontation in a parking lot. The incident unfolded after the sheriff’s office received reports of a driver speeding on C-470 and passing cars on the shoulder of the highway. A deputy discovered the unoccupied car at an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store, 8134 S. Kipling Pkwy. When the suspect exited the store, a confrontation ensued between the deputy and the suspect. The deputy fired his weapon, hitting and killing Austin Dunsmore, 25.
• Sept. 19: An investigation by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office determined Fountain police officers and El Paso County deputies were justified in shooting a driver who led them on a high-speed chase and repeatedly rammed their vehicles. The driver, Robert William Zupko Jr., was wounded but has since recovered and faces charges that include attempted first-degree murder with extreme indifference.
• Sept. 8: A car theft suspect was injured when he was shot in the face after he reportedly drove toward a Denver police officer while pointing a gun. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann ruled officer Sergey Gurevich was justified in shooting Sergio Casimiro-Mejia. She concluded that Casimiro-Mejia had placed Gurevich in “imminent, life-threatening peril.” McCann said the officer’s body camera footage “demonstrates how well he handled a very scary and tense situation.”Casimiro-Mejia was later charged with first-degree assault on a peace officer, menacing, motor vehicle theft, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and possession of burglary tools.

August

• Aug. 25: A 43-year-old man shot and killed by RTD security officers at a light-rail station was despondent about his grandmother’s death, a family member said. Armando Vigil was killed at the Sheridan Boulevard rail stop after he pointed a gun at two armed security guards who found him lying on a lawn and were checking on his welfare. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann ruled on Jan. 5, 2018, that the security guards were justified when they fired 29 shots at Vigil, who was hit 14 times. As the two officers got near, Vigil pointed a gun at one officer. Both officers fired and as one backed away, she stumbled and fell. The other, who thought she had been wounded and was still in danger, fired additional shots,  according to McCann’s decision letter.
• Aug. 21:  Pueblo County deputies fatally shot a man in Colorado City who was wanted on an arrest warrant in connection with an Aug. 16 credit union robbery. On April 2, 2018, Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner decided the deputies acted in self-defense and in defense of others when they shot 66-year-old Dennis Flowers. Deputies were searching for Flowers in connection with the robbery at because he had a warrant out for his arrest for allegedly robbing the ENT Credit Union in Rye. Investigators said Flowers raised a small two-barreled firearm and pointed it at a deputy. The officers then fired their weapons.
• Aug. 15: A Colorado Springs police officer fatally shot an alleged Walmart shoplifter following a foot chase, officials say. Steven James Young, 45, ran from officers. Young “brandished a firearm at officers” that was later determined to be a Crosman Vigilante pellet pistol, a firearm replica. At the time of the fatal shooting, Young was wanted on felony warrants including being a fugitive from justice, aggravated motor vehicle theft and multiple counts of vehicular eluding.

July

• July 4: A Federal Heights police officer shot and killed a fugitive parolee, who officers believed was armed, when he refused orders to surrender and attempted to flee. Police said the man had driven to an apartment complex after threatening a woman. The Adams County District Attorney’s office announced in an Oct. 12 report that Sgt. Jon Hess would not face charges in connection with the death of Juan Carlos Manriquez. DA Dave Young determined Hess’ three shots were justified because he perceived a threat of deadly physical force.
• July 4: Montezuma County deputies who were dispatched to handle a domestic violence incident shot and killed a 53-year-old man after he fired toward them. A deputy shot Tyrone Peabody after he came out of a home armed with a rifle and fired toward deputies.
• July 1: Jeremy Holmes, 19, died from multiple gunshot wounds after he was shot by police near Colorado State University when CSU and Fort Collins police officers responded to a report of a “threatening male.”

June

• June 30: A Larimer County deputy shot Chet Knuppel in the chest as he was fleeing after crashing a stolen vehicle in a field near Colorado 392 and Larimer County Road 9. Knuppel died later at a hospital of a single gunshot wound to the chest. The deputy was cleared by Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel. Riedel’s report outlines the chaos that led to up to the shooting — Knuppel had reportedly crashed a car stolen from his parents and then attempted to carjack another vehicle from an elderly couple by threatening to shoot them and indicating he had a gun in his rear waistband. When officers arrived they were told about threats Knuppel had made about having a gun. Knuppel ran into a field and as deputies chased him, he turned toward them and was shot.
• June 30: Westminster police shot and killed Brett Rodriguez, 33, as they tried to arrest him. Officers were in the area looking for a suspect wanted on warrants when they saw the man who was also wanted on warrants. Police said he ran to a car in an attempt to flee and displayed a weapon when officers approached. In a letter clearing the two officers, 17th Judicial District Attorney Dave Young wrote the officers feared for their lives when they saw Rodriquez begin to pull a gun from his waistband.
• June 30: Police shot and killed Stephanie Lopez, 32, and critically injured a second woman following a carjacking and high-speed chase that traversed Littleton, Englewood and Denver before police stopped the alleged robbers. No officers were struck by bullets in the early morning shootout. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene and the other woman was hospitalized in critical condition. On Feb. 7, 2018, Denver District Attorney Beth McCann announced that three Littleton Police Department officers and an Englewood Police Department officer were justified in shooting the women. Littleton officers Anthony Guzman, Luke McGrath and Joseph Carns and Englewood officer Brian Martinez knew the car’s occupants had been involved in an earlier carjacking where shots had been fired, McCann wrote in a letter to the chiefs of each department. The driver, Marta Sanchez, then led police on a high-speed chase where she ran red lights and nearly hit a motorcycle as she tried to elude police. Each time officers stopped the car, Sanchez would drive toward them and race off, the letter said. Officers shot at the car 44 times on three occasions before the chase ended. McCann’s analysis also determined that Guzman had used deadly force when he hit the suspect vehicle with his patrol SUV as it made a left turn. “With each subsequent use of force, the suspect vehicle’s continued efforts to escape from police demonstrated a brazenness that justified the officers’ fears that the suspects posed a significant risk of danger not only to the officers but to the public at large,” McCann wrote. Sanchez, 26, was shot multiple times and became a paraplegic because of her injuries. The female passenger, Stephanie Lopez, 32, died at the scene from a gunshot wound to her head, the letter said. Toxicology tests found that Lopez had methamphetamine, marijuana and alcohol in her system. Sanchez had taken methamphetamine and marijuana, the letter said. Both women were wanted by police — Sanchez on three arrest warrants and Lopez for a parole violation from the Colorado Department of Corrections, the letter said. Inside the wrecked car, police found a loaded .38-caliber weapon in a purse, a large knife, 115 grams of meth and 16.75  grams of powder ibuprofen along with needles and a scale, the letter said. No one in the car fired shots at police.
• June 18: A 31-year-old man was injured in a shootout with Denver police following a car chase from Montbello to Aurora. Keith A. Roberts was convicted in January, 2018, of two counts of first-degree assault, six counts of felony menacing, three counts of possession of a weapon by a previous offender, two counts of vehicular eluding, one count of reckless driving and one count of possession of a controlled substance. On April 3, 2018, Roberts was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
• June 9: Hector Santana-Arreola, 39, was injured after he pulled a knife on Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents before one agent shot him, grazing his head. Santana-Arreola, who was wanted on two outstanding warrants and is a previously deported felon, suffered a superficial wound. He faces charges of first-degree assault. Denver District Attorney Beth McCann cleared Rueben Coray, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, of criminal wrong-doing. Coray was within arm’s reach of Santana-Arreola when he brandished the utility knife and could have seriously injured the officer.
• June 8: Stephen Rich, 48, died in an exchange of gunfire with four Loveland police officers. Eighth Judicial District Attorney Clifford E. Riedel determined Rich gave the officers no choice but to fire their weapons in self-defense after he fired two shots at them. Footage from a police car’s camera showed that less than 2 seconds elapsed between Rich’s first shot and the officers returning fire. One of the officers was on patrol when he saw a motorcyclist make an improper turn. The officer followed the motorcycle and activated his lights after seeing the motorcyclist make several other traffic violations. The officer ended the pursuit after the motorcyclist ran a red light. About 13 minutes after the officer first saw the motorcyclist, a motorist called to report a motorcyclist had struck his car and that he had followed the motorcyclist to a residence. The four officers responded to the scene. The officers, the 911 caller and a friend of his all said the motorcyclist, who later was identified as Rich, walked away. Rich then reached behind his back and pulled out a Glock semi-automatic pistol and fired two shots.

May

• May 31: James Daniel Hill, 17, was shot and killed after a high-speed chase with Arapahoe County deputies. The deputies spotted the car, which had been reported stolen in an armed carjacking. During the pursuit, the car became immobilized in Centennial and five suspects fled the vehicle. A deputy ran after Hill, who deputies said displayed a gun. The District Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial District determined Deputy Robert Knudson justifiably used deadly force to protect the public and other officers.
• May 20: Brendan Gerwing, 23, was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree assault after a shootout with Denver police officers who had been called to help a suicidal person. Gerwing allegedly shot a police officer who tried to subdue him with a stun gun. Gerwing was then shot by another police officer. The officer was treated for a shattered fibula in his right leg. It was the second time in eight months that police were called after Gerwing was reported to be suicidal. On Sept. 29, Denver’s district attorney  cleared the Denver police officer involved in the shooting. According to a letter issued by district attorney Beth McCann, the wounding of Gerwing by Denver Police Sgt. Chad Kendall after Gerwing shot officer John Allred was legally justified. Her review included viewing footage from body cameras worn by the five officers who responded to the call.
• May 12: A Douglas County sheriff’s deputy had a split second to react when he suddenly came face to face with a man holding an assault rifle near an SUV stopped along a suburban roadway. The sheriff’s office released the video of Deputy Brad Proux, a six-year veteran, approaching the vehicle and suddenly encountering the driver, who stood with an assault rifle in his hands. Proux shot Deyon Marcus Rivas-Maestas, 25, who has been charged with first-degree assault of a peace officer. The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office determined Proulx was justified in shooting and wounding Rivas-Maestas, according to a letter written by Jacob Edson, chief deputy district attorney to Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock. “In this circumstance, Deputy Proulx reasonably believed unlawful physical and deadly force was about to be applied upon him by Rivas-Maestas,” the letter said. “Deputy Proulx recognized Rivas-Maestas possessed an AR-15 rifle, more powerful than the service weapon he was carrying. Deputy Proulx reasonably believed Rivas-Maestas would or could use the rifle not only in a striking motion, but perhaps to fire at him.”
• May 9: Westminster police shot and killed an armed fugitive after he allegedly stole a car and then barricaded himself in an apartment and shot a police officer. Gunshots were exchanged when officers entered the residence. The suspect shot and injured an officer and a police dog also was injured and taken to an emergency veterinarian for treatment. Police officers shot and killed the fugitive, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

April

• April 1: Michael Adrian Torres, 24, was injured when he was shot by an Aurora police sergeant with 13 years experience near the intersection of East Colfax Avenue and Sable Boulevard. Police said Torres was under police surveillance at the time of the shooting and was wanted in connection with aggravated motor vehicle theft out of Denver. In June, 17th Judicial District Attorney Dave Young concluded the sergeant who fired an AR-15 rifle three times at Torres would not face criminal charges in connection with the shooting. Young concluded Sgt. Kevin Barnes was in fear for his life because Torres made aggressive driving maneuvers.

March

• March 14: Alexander Meltz, 18, was shot and killed in Westminster by police officers assigned to an interagency, Denver-area auto-theft task force. Metz was pronounced dead at the scene of the shootout at Cotton Creek Park north of Legacy Ridge Golf Course. Investigators say Meltz, who was connected to a stolen vehicle, was shot after he brandished and pointed a weapon at officers who confronted him. Authorities have declined to say what kind of weapon he was holding. There were four officers involved in the shooting, including two Colorado State Patrol troopers, an officer from Wheat Ridge and an officer from Lakewood. All four fired at Meltz.
• March 3: Michael Kocher, 32, was shot and killed by an officer during a standoff with Englewood police. Kochner died of a gunshot wound to his torso. The shooting happened after officers were called on reports of an armed person barricaded inside a home with hostages. The hostages were not hurt. No officers were injured.

February

• Feb. 21: Misael Macias Cano, 40, was fatally shot by Colorado Springs police officers as they tried to arrest him on a felony domestic violence warrant. Cano led officers on a cross-town chase that included two cars, a foot pursuit and a home invasion before he was shot. He was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital.
• Feb. 21: Isaac Lesperance-Torres, 44, who was wearing body armor, was shot twice in the leg and injured during an incident that started in Commerce City and spilled into Denver. He faces charges of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer. Police officers attempted to use a stun gun to subdue Leseperance-Torres, but it was ineffective. He shot at the officers who returned fire. The Denver District Attorney’s office determined it wouldn’t file charges against the officers and said the facts of the case show that shooting was “the only true option they had — less lethal options were already unsuccessful.”
• Feb. 6: Cole Wooley, 50, died of multiple gunshot wounds after a two-hour standoff with Commerce City police. During the standoff, Wooley repeatedly told officers he wanted to die before he pointed a gun at them and threatened to fire it. five police officers fired a total of 17 rounds at Wooley, but 17th Judicial District Attorney Dave Young determined the officers made reasonable decisions to shoot and decided against filing charges against any of them.
• Feb. 5: Andrew Bird, 33, was shot and killed by Pueblo police officers after Bird backed into a police car, hit a parked vehicle and turned the car toward the officers.
• Feb. 1: A 56-year-old contract RTD security officer wearing a uniform similar in style to Denver police was shot in the head and killed by a man who slipped behind him while he was talking to two women asking for directions. Scott Von Lanken was a former police officer in La Crosse, Wis., and for nearly 30 years was a pastor at charismatic Christian churches in Arizona, Ohio, Texas, and most recently, Loveland. Joshua Cummings, 37, has been charged with first-degree murder in Von Lanken’s death.

January

• Jan. 21: A man holding a pellet gun attempting “suicide by cop” was wounded when he was shot by a Fort Collins police officer. Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel ruled the officer acted lawfully when shooting Austin Snodgrass, 25. Snodgrass was later sentenced to three years in a community corrections program after pleading guilty to felony menacing.
• Jan. 12: Colorado Springs police shot and wounded Shawn Michael Oliver, 39, after he fired at them in the parking lot of an Arby’s restaurant. Oliver was wanted on two felony warrants out of Adams County when the the shootout happened.
• Jan. 7: Hector Navarrette, 31, died after he was shot 14 times by two Northglenn police officers — one of whom fired at him a dozen times through the back window of a vehicle. Police began pursuing Navarette in connection with a report that a man had dragged a woman off a porch and hit her in the face several times. Investigators say he was driving a Mercedes that had been reported stolen out of Arvada and that a large knife and loaded handgun were found in the front passenger side of the vehicle. Navarrette had a blood alcohol content of .195 — well above the 0.08 drunken driving limit in Colorado — and also had methamphetamine and marijuana in his system. The Adams County District Attorney’s Office issued a decision in April that the officers wouldn’t face any charges because their use of force was reasonable and the district attorney couldn’t prove the pair were not justified in the shooting.
• Jan. 5: A Colorado Springs police sergeant shot an armed 16-year-old boy who was wanted as a suspect in multiple violent crimes while executing a search warrant. No police officers were injured. The sergeant was justified in shooting the teen when he appeared to be raising a gun toward officers. The teen, whose name has not been released, has since recovered and been charged with multiple felonies.