The death of a truck driver on Montrose’s main street at about 8:35 p.m. Thursday is being investigated by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
According to CBI spokesman Lance Clem, at about 8:30 p.m., a Montrose police officer pulled the truck over for a defective-vehicle infraction.
Clem said that as the officer approached the truck, the driver drove off.
Clem said the officer returned to his patrol car and followed the truck at a slow rate of speed.
After a short distance, the driver stopped again between the 1300 and 1400 blocks of Main Street.
The trucker then got out of his vehicle carrying a rifle and exchanged words with the officer.
Upon seeing the rifle, the officer took cover. The patrolman then heard a gunshot and realized the driver had been killed.
Clem said that the officer never fired his weapon and that authorities believe the driver committed suicide.
The officer, whose name was not released, was uninjured. The driver’s identity also has not been released.
Clem said four CBI agents are in Montrose looking into the incident — two investigators and two forensic analysts.
The Montrose Police Department asked the CBI to investigate, said Clem.
Kathi Krinkel, Montrose police spokeswoman, said the department is not commenting on the incident because it is being investigated by the CBI.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
