A Colorado Parks and Wildlife ranger was stabbed in the torso Tuesday at in a “targeted attack,” and a suspect is on the run, Jefferson County sheriff’s officials said.
The ranger first aired that he had an altercation with someone near Old Mill Trail at around 9:30 a.m. before he stopped responding “for some time,” Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jacki Kelley said.
Law enforcement was already heading toward the area when the ranger came back on the radio and said he had been stabbed, gave a description of the man who stabbed him and which direction he ran.
The ranger was taken to the Elk Creek fire station and then airlifted to the hospital. He underwent surgery and is in stable condition, Kelley said.
Multiple state and local law enforcement agencies locked down the state park to search for the suspect by ground and air, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials evacuated all visitors. to the public until further notice.
Sheriff’s officials sent an alert to 8,600 people in the area telling them to go inside and lock their doors, Kelley said. A shelter-in-place area was lifted just before 5 p.m. and people were allowed to return to their homes.
“We have reason to believe this was a targeted attack and there is no ongoing threat to the community,” the sheriff’s office
Two people found nearby were interviewed by police and cleared of any involvement, according to the agency.
The suspect is described as a white, clean-shaven man in his 30s with brown hair who is 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds, sheriff’s officials said. He is wearing jeans and a plain gray shirt.
Anyone who sees the man should consider him dangerous and call 911.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
