WESTMINSTER — Officers involved in a wild chase and bloody November shootout with two bank robbers were justified in killing the couple near a major intersection in the city, the district attorney says.
Two Westminster officers were shot during the deadly exchanges, while the suspects — Christian Benshoof, 35, and Ashley Johnson, 25 — were each shot nine times, according to the Adams County Critical Incident Team.
Adams County District Attorney Don Quick said Thursday that he was clearing all the officers involved in the shooting because the couple put both the officers and innocent bystanders at risk during their getaway.
Benshoof and Johnson began firing at police during a 16-block chase through the city after robbing the FirstBank branch at 5130 W. 120th Ave., at gunpoint. After the couple’s car was rammed by police, another gunfight began near Federal Boulevard and West 120th Avenue, Quick said.
“By witness accounts, the ensuing gun battle at 120th and Federal lasted between 10 and 30 seconds,” Quick said in a letter to the Westminster and Federal Heights police chiefs. “Either way, under the circumstances, the officers were legally justified in using deadly force. In this area, at noon, there were numerous officers and bystanders who were put at risk because of the actions of the suspects.”
The Adams County Critical Incident Team consists of representatives from law enforcement agencies in Adams County as well as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, said Adams DA spokeswoman Krista Flannigan.
At least four officers were shot at during the incident, according to the team’s report. Both Benshoof and Johnson were armed with Ruger .357-caliber revolvers.
In all, officers fired 105 rounds, and at least 75 rounds struck the Subaru Impreza that Benshoof and Johnson were driving. Investigators also found a blond wig Johnson wore at the bank in the car. The couple got nearly $8,400 from the bank, but much of the money was tossed out during the chase.
While being chased, Johnson moved from the front seat to the back and shot out the back window at police, the report said. But police did not shoot back as the chase continued north on Federal Boulevard during the busy lunch hour.
During that time, a shot from the Subaru stuck an officer’s patrol car, fracturing the officer’s femur. Then at West 119th Avenue and Federal, more shots from the Subaru hit Westminster’s deputy chief in the right arm.
The injuries to officer Shawn Chandler and Deputy Chief Tim Carlson were not life-threatening.
Benshoof and Johnson continued to shoot after their car had been rammed at the 120th and Federal intersection, where they ignored calls for their surrender, Quick said.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
