Editor’s note: 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason determined that Adams County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff May will not be criminally charged in the fatal shooting of Paul Montoya Jr. Mason said the prosecution “cannot prove that the involved officer was not justified in using reasonable force.” .
A man was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy Saturday after allegedly killing a family member, carjacking a good Samaritan at knifepoint and attacking law enforcement, according to Brighton police.
Brighton officers responded to a report of an assault in the 200 block of North 11th Avenue at 8:44 a.m. and found a 72-year-old man dead. Police wrote in that family members identified the suspect as a relative of the victim and told officers that the suspect “had been acting erratically.”
At 9:37 a.m., Thornton police responded to a crash involving a vehicle driven by the suspect and learned he carjacked a passerby who stopped to help.
Minutes later, an Adams County sheriff’s deputy spotted the stolen vehicle at the home of a family member of the suspect and his deceased victim, in unincorporated Adams County near Thornton.
When the deputy confronted the suspect, he shot at them, and the deputy returned fire, according to Brighton police and sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Sherman.
The shooting is being investigated by the 17th Judicial District, police said. The suspect and his deceased victim will be identified by the coroner’s office.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Brighton Police Department at 303-655-8740.
