REDLANDS, Colo.—Two Colorado State troopers facing criminal charges for a fatal shooting will be on unpaid leave while their case makes it through court.
Patrol Chief Col. James Wolfinbarger said Thursday law enforcement officers are forced to make “split-second decisions” every day and urged people not to “rush to judgment.”
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports that a grand jury indicted troopers Ivan “Gene” Lawyer and Kirk Firko in the July shooting. The indictment says the troopers were investigating a traffic accident when they went to the home of Redlands resident Jason Kemp and kicked in his door. Kemp was unarmed but Lawyer told the grand jury he saw a flash and thought he had been shot so he fired at Kemp.
Lawyer performed CPR on Kemp before he died.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel,
