Colorado Springs – The bus bench where a police officer was killed on Wednesday became a focal point for grief today.
Along with flowers, a cross, and a hotel-size bottle of Jack Daniels, probably left by strangers, were a police department t-shirt and police teddy bear.
Four undercover police officers and Det. Jared Jensen’s boss came to that bench today to pray, cry, hug and give each other support.
Jensen, 30, was killed on Wednesday, trying to apprehend a fugitive.
Today the El Paso County Coroner’s Office ruled that he died from a single gunshot to the head. Jereme Lamberth, 30, was arrested after a two-hour manhunt in Colorado Springs.
Jensen’s colleagues all worked with him in the Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence unit. As undercover officers, they sported camouflage pants, jeans, and baseball caps. One was unshaven and wore an earring.
“He loved his job,” said Jensen’s boss, Lt. Tish Olszewski.
“One of his goals when he came on to the department was to work metro VNI within 5 years of coming into the department and he did that. You have to be an outstanding officer to be selected.”
Olszewski recalled Jensen’s application to the unit. She said he gave an outstanding interview and she personally selected him to be on the team.
“He’s genuine, he’s caring and he loved his community,” she said. “To get into metro VNI you have to do a good job on the street.”
Olszewski was in her office when she was notified Wednesday morning that there had been a shooting.
“It is just devastating. We are in shock. I didn’t think staying home and thinking about it was going to help me. The job still goes on but we are constantly thinking about Jared.”
Olszewski said the group felt they had to visit the bench.
“We all as a unit came out to see what we could do. I’m not sure how many of us got any sleep.” Because Olszewski supervises Jensen’s closest fellow officers, she said she will ensure they get grief counseling and that they talk about the shooting.
“I hope we can fill in the blanks (of what happened),” she said. “Those of us who worked with him are devastated. We are dealing with a lot of emotions.”
She said Jensen was a safety-conscious officer.
“He always identified himself to say he was a police officer and always respectful of the public. He always had a big ‘ol smile on his face when I saw him. What a gift to enjoy and love your job. He could not wait to get out there on the street and start working.”
Beyond the tributes from his colleagues, civilians wanted to honor Jensen.
Veronica Duran, 35, said she came to bring roses to the bus bench because she felt bad about what happened to the officer.
“He is a human being,” she said. “He did not deserve to die.”
Others, who witnessed Jensen’s murder, are still thinking about what they saw.
Brandon Chavez, 21, was asleep in his house on the corner of Hancock and Costilla when he was awakened by the sound of two gunshots, around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. He ran out of his house and saw Jensen lying in the dirt, just west of the bench. He also saw what he described as a well-dressed man wearing a suit and a tan trenchcoat.
“I was kind of half asleep,” Chavez said. “I told my friend, ‘Call the cops’ and the suspect was looking back at me. He (the shooter) was pretty calm about the whole situation. The cops just missed him by a minute.”
Chavez said the shooter calmly walked west down Costilla and never said anything or showed any panic or fear. He said Jensen had a pair of open handcuffs in his hand and that is when he realized the victim was a police officer.
“He was pretty much…he was pretty bad. I don’t think there was much more they could have done for him.”
“The thing that I thought was weird is there was no badge exposed. No necklace with a badge and there was no weapon.”
Chavez wondered if the shooter knew he’d shot a police officer.
