A Denver police officer shot a man who attacked him with a hammer as he sat in his car doing paperwork today, police said. Police later found evidence that the man might have wanted to be killed by a police officer.
The man smashed out the driver’s side window of the cruiser, until the officer fired on him at about 1:30 p.m. today, said Denver police spokeswoman Vicki Ferrari.
The officer was parked behind a Kmart store near South Federal Boulevard and West Evans Avenue.
The man has not been named. He was in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center tonight.
Police haven’t determined a reason for the attack, but found “suicide-type information” in the man’s clothing, Ferrari said.
She said she wouldn’t characterize it as a suicide note, however.
“If it’s released, you’ll see what I mean,” she said.
Detectives are also trying to confirm his identification, then contact his relatives, Ferrari said.
After that, police will release his name, she said. His ID indicates he is a local man with a lengthy criminal record, she said.
The man apparently arrived in a rental truck parked around the corner. In it, police could see a machete in plain view, Ferrari said.
The vehicle was towed and investigators are awaiting a search warrant to go inside, she said.
The officer was not injured and gave a statement to investigators.
