An officer with the Denver Police Department on Friday shot and killed a man who was stabbing a woman in their home when officers arrived, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 11:50 a.m. at Globeville Townhouses in the 300 block of East 51st Avenue after someone called 911 to report a domestic violence fight, Denver police division chief Ron Thomas said during a Friday afternoon news conference.
Police officers forced their way into the townhome, where a man was holding a woman and assaulting her, Thomas said. The woman already had been stabbed. Officers ordered the man to stop the assault, but he did not.
“The suspect continued to assault the female,” Thomas said.
One police officer fired one shot, Thomas said. The man died at the scene.
The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment. She was in serious but stable condition, Thomas said. A child in the home was not injured.
ALERT: on scene of an officer involved shooting in the 300 block of E 51st Ave after responding to a DV/ stabbing. Suspect shot by police. Stabbing victim transported to hospital with injuries. No officers injured. Updates will be posted as they are available.
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice)
Lawrence Scott, a neighbor who has lived in the complex for more than two years, was at work when he received a call from his wife, who he described as hysteric.
“It’s really scary because it’s usually really peaceful here,” Scott said, describing the incident as a “traumatic experience that happened right next door.”
Kimberly Thompson lives on the same street as the suspect and heard the woman screaming. She “sounded very desperate for her life,” Thompson said.
“I know she goes through things with him,” Thompson said.
Scott and Thompson said they have heard the couple fighting in the past.
Thomas, the police division chief, did not know Friday afternoon whether officers previously had been called to the home because of domestic violence.
The dead man will be publicly identified later by the Denver medical examiner.
The police shooting remains under investigation by the Denver District Attorney’s Office, the Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
