Westminster – Neighbors at an apartment complex where a man was shot by police said Sunday that the man lived there but they don’t recall problems involving him in the past.
They also said they did not see what happened between the officer and 30-year-old Jason Rohrback, so they could not be sure of what prompted the officer to fire the fatal shots.
Rohrback was shot several times Friday after police say he confronted the officer at his apartment door with a knife.
The Westminster officer who fired the shots, John McDonald, has been with the department two years.
McDonald was placed on paid administrative leave, routine in an officer-involved shooting.
An apartment manager declined to discuss the incident but said the complex is considered safe, with no major incidents there for at least five years.
The complex is in the 5300 block of West 78th Place.
Police say they went to the apartment after receiving a report that Rohrback was behaving strangely.
The call did not come over the police 911 emergency line, said Investigator Trevor Materasso.
McDonald encountered Rohrback at his front door on the third-floor balcony when the shots were fired. The officer was alone at the time.
Rohrback does not appear to have a criminal record in Colorado, and Materasso said Friday was the first time Westminster officers had contact with him.
A Critical Incident Team was sent to the scene to investigate the shooting. Findings of that investigation will be sent to the Jefferson County district attorney’s office for review.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
