Douglas County sheriff’s deputies shot and killed two people who first started shooting at the deputies in an RTD station parking lot overnight in Lone Tree, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said at a news conference Wednesday.
The deputies were patrolling the Lincoln Station parking lot late Tuesday when they saw a suspicious black Kia with no license plates and the locks punched out, he said. Deputies later confirmed the vehicle was stolen from Pueblo.
Officer Involved Shooting Update:
DCSO Deputies were patrolling the RTD Lincoln Station Parking Lot at 10203 Station Way, Lonetree and saw a suspicious Black Kia with no License Plates and the locks punched out. When deputies approached the vehicle suspects opened fire.— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff)
Deputies approached the vehicle and announced themselves, Spurlock said. The people inside the car did not respond, but “out of nowhere” started shooting at the deputies from both sides of the vehicle, he said. There were three separate volleys of gunfire over a span of more than seven minutes, Spurlock said. Each volley of gunfire was initiated by the suspects, he said.
Six deputies shot back at the people in the vehicle, and two people inside were killed.
The two people inside the car have been identified, Spurlock said, but the sheriff’s office did not release their names Wednesday morning because they are still trying to contact their families. Investigators found two weapons in the car, Spurlock said, though he would not give more information about the type of weapon.
Both people had warrants for auto theft and theft, Spurlock said. One person was also wanted for questioning in connection to a shooting in the Denver area.
One of the deputies was transported to a hospital with minor injuries from glass striking his face. A bullet also passed through the sleeve of his uniform but he was not shot.
“Our officers were very, very lucky last night,” Spurlock said.
The deputies were wearing uniforms, body cameras and driving a mix of marked and unmarked cars. Some of the deputies were assigned to a team dedicated to investigating auto thefts, Spurlock said.
The Lincoln Station parking garage re-opened around noon Wednesday after being closed for the investigation.
All six deputies are on paid leave while the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement agencies investigate the shooting.
During the news conference, Spurlock called for stronger investigations and prosecutions of car thefts.
“If you steal a car in Douglas County, we’re going to chase you,” he said. “We are going to be aggressive on anyone who steals cars in this county.”
Spurlock said the shooting was the first police shooting involving a Douglas County deputy thus far in 2022.
