iStock/Thinkstock(DENVER) — One sheriff’s deputy was killed and four others shot after police responded to a call about a disturbance at an apartment complex in an affluent suburban county outside of Denver, authorities said.
Two other people at the apartment complex were also shot in the incident, and the suspect is dead, police said. Except for the one deputy killed, none of the other victims have life-threatening injuries, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said at a press conference Sunday afternoon.
The shootings occurred after deputies responded to a call at about 5:15 a.m. local time to what they thought was a domestic problem at an apartment complex but which turned out to be a disturbance unrelated to any domestic dispute.
He said four officers arrived at the same time to investigate.
“They went into the house at the same time,” Spurlock said. “It was almost immediately after that” that the suspect shot the officers.
“All of them were shot very, very quickly,” he said. “They all went down.”
The sheriff said the shooting was “more of an ambush type of attack” because the suspect knew they were coming in to investigate the disturbance.
As the incident was still unfolding, police asked people to avoid the area and for those nearby to shelter in place.
As a tribute to the fallen officer, a hearse bearing the “Stars and Stripes” flag left Littleton Hospital trailed by a convoy of law enforcement SUVs and cruisers with their lights on.
The scene was videotaped and posted on the Douglas County sheriff’s Facebook page under the heading: “Motorcade for our fallen deputy.”
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