A deputy sheriff who shot the killer of Eldora Mountain Resort General Manager Brian Mahon during a confrontation in December was named Officer of the Month by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Deputy John Seifert was fired on 27 times by Derik Bonestroo, minutes after Bonestroo killed Mahon at the ski area.
The memorial fund began recognizing heroism of peace officers in 1996. Seifert will be presented with the award next May in Washington, D.C., at a luncheon hosted by the group’s board of directors.
Seifert, a deputy with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, was responding to a call about the ski-area shooting about 7:30 a.m. Dec. 30 when he spotted Bonestroo’s car and began a short chase.
The deputy hit Bonestroo’s car at least 10 times and hit Bonestroo several times before the gunman killed himself.
Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle said Thursday that Seifert acted appropriately and heroically. In January, Pelle presented Seifert with the Sheriff’s Office Medal of Valor, which is awarded to department employees who perform acts of “extreme personal bravery or self-sacrifice.”
