Faced with an armed suspect while working off-duty at the Department of Motor Vehicles in 2002, Donnie Young chased down and tackled the man before disarming him.
Young didn’t use his service revolver after the suspect turned to run, he later told a fellow officer, because he “just couldn’t shoot this guy in the back.”
The detective – a husband and a father of two girls – was fatally shot in the head early Sunday. He was 43.
“He was a hero,” said Lt. Tony Lopez, who worked with Young for the past seven years. “It’s such a loss to our community and our Police Department to lose someone of Donnie’s caliber.”
Confident but not cocky, lighthearted but not lackadaisical, Young flung himself into whatever the day brought, his fellow officers said Sunday, whether it was playing soccer with one of his daughters or taking a long road trip on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
“He could instantly make a stranger feel comfortable, like he’d known them for years,” recalled Denver Sgt. Mark Fleecs, who worked with Young from 1997 to 2000.
“He had an incredible sense of humor and cared about people in a big way,” Fleecs said. “He truly lived life.”
But the most important part of Young’s life was his wife, Kelly, and daughters Courtney, 13, and Kelsey, 5, officers said.
“Those girls – they were the apples of his eye,” Fleecs said of Young’s daughters. “He would spend all day playing with them. He was a real soccer dad.”
They got their athletic ability from their dad, who was a tough-as-nails boxer and great all-around athlete, Lopez said.
Police Chief Gerry Whitman said the department is “embracing the family.”
“Donnie’s wife is very strong,” Whitman said. “She’s an amazing woman.”
Young had recently moved to a new house in the Tapestry Hills neighborhood in Douglas County. The family’s former home in the same neighborhood is marked by terraced landscaping in the backyard with running water – evidence of how well Young took care of his home, said neighbors, who remembered him for his warmth.
“He was just a really neighborly guy who was always friendly to us,” said Steve Green, who lives across the street.
A couple of blocks away, family and friends gathered Sunday at the Young home. A man who did not identify himself said the family was distraught and not ready to speak publicly.
In his police career, Young frequently went undercover, choosing the most dangerous assignments, Lopez said.
Young was awarded the Police Department’s Medal of Honor and a Distinguished Service Cross. He also received 10 official commendations and two commendatory letters, police said.
“Twelve years and to be that decorated is very impressive,” Whitman said.
Other officers were devastated by Young’s death, the chief said. He said Young was very well-liked and known for his sense of humor.
“It’s so senseless,” Fleecs said. “There’s no reason to it at all. That’s the hardest part about it. You can’t reason it out. There’s no answer. He’s gonna be missed. He was an amazing guy.”
Lopez echoed those sentiments.
“God takes the good ones,” Lopez said, “and I can’t tell you why.”
Staff writer George Merritt contributed to this report.
Staff writer Amy Herdy can be reached at 303-820-1752 or aherdy@denverpost.com.
