The man typically targeted closed businesses between midnight and 6 a.m. and broke into the shops either by cutting through lockboxes to access spare keys or breaking through the stores’ windows and doors, according to an April indictment. He then typically grabbed what cash was available in cash registers or safes and left, the indictment alleged.

The targeted businesses included retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks in Westminster, Broomfield, Arvada, Thornton and other areas around Denver, according to the indictment. The targeted locations included a Taco Bell, Jersey Mike’s Sub, Jack in the Box and Ziggi’s Coffee, among others.

Investigators believe the man stole about $42,000 from the 75 businesses between February and November 2024 and caused about $77,000 in property damage, according to the indictment. He is also accused of stealing a license plate and attempting burglaries at five other businesses. It appeared no one was hurt in the burglaries.

The man, who is already in prison after he was sentenced in February to a six-year term for a series of business burglaries in Lafayette, is next due in court in August. He is represented by a public defender, who as a matter of policy do not comment on ongoing cases.

A Colorado State Patrol trooper and an Adams County sheriff deputy together fired 13 rounds at Joshua Jackson, 35, striking him multiple times, according to Matt Clark, a commander with the Denver Police Department’s Major Crimes Division.

Clark spoke to reporters at a press conference on Thursday regarding the June 2 incident at a Sinclair gas station and convenience store in the 600 block of Santa Fe Drive in Denver. Footage of the shooting from two officers’ body-worn cameras were also released.

Clark said officers from the Colorado Metropolitan Auto Theft Task Force had been tracking Jackson after it was reported that a Ford F-350 construction truck, which had been left running and unoccupied in the area of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street in Aurora, had been stolen.

The truck had a GPS tracker and a camera in the cab.

“These images (from the camera) captured the driver operating the vehicle while holding what appeared to be a firearm in his right hand,” Clark said.

Law enforcement followed the truck to the Sinclair convenience store in Denver and waited for the driver to exit the truck, Clark said, so as not to trigger a vehicle pursuit. He was told to show his hands by officers who were in plain clothes but also wearing “tactical vests with law enforcement insignia visible.”

“The subject did not comply and instead went quickly into the convenience store,” Clark said. “The subject produced what appeared to be a handgun and moved around within the store.”

One of the officers outside the store told investigators the subject raised what appeared to be a gun at him, posing an “imminent threat,” Clark said. That’s when the officer “discharged multiple rounds from their duty handgun,” he said.

Body-worn camera footage released Thursday , with Jackson running into the station as officers order him to show his hands. One officer at the scene yells that Jackson has a gun, at which point officers order him five times to drop it.

One officer then yells twice that “he’s got it in his hand.” At that point, an officer begins firing multiple rounds through the glass door of the convenience store. There were two employees inside the store, but no customers, Clark said. Neither employee was injured, he said.

It is difficult to tell from watching the body-worn camera footage what is happening inside the store because of a reflection cast by the windows and glass door of the Sinclair. But a person in light colored clothes can be seen moving around on the floor, darting in different directions.

Officers again tell him not to move and then one officer yells: “He’s going for the gun again.”

More shots follow.

An officer then yells that the suspect has dropped the gun and officers, many in uniform, enter the store and arrest him. Jackson was taken to Denver Health, Clark said, where he remains today. No update was provided on his condition.

Jackson was charged with auto theft and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.

At the press conference, Clark . It looked indistinguishable from a real firearm.

“That object was determined to be a lighter designed to look like a handgun,” Clark said.

But the lighter was incapable of firing any projectiles, he said. When a reporter asked about its size, Clark said it would qualify as a “smaller” handgun but one that “could be held in a pistol grip” that would “occupy the size of your hand.”

The Adams County Sheriff deputy who fired at the suspect has been with the agency since 2012, Clark said. The Colorado State Patrol trooper has been employed there since 2018.

Both are on paid administrative leave as the investigation into the shooting proceeds.

The man was unconsciousness and not breathing when a deputy found him during a cell check shortly after midnight Friday, according to a post on X.com. He was removed from his cell and given Narcan, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses. Medical staff and emergency personnel arrived and provided life-saving measures on scene, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said, but the man was pronounced dead at the Platte Valley Medical Center later that morning.

It’s unclear how long the man had been unconscious. Sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. Shea Haney said he had no additional details. The agency is investigating, and the coroner’s office will later determine the cause of death. The man’s identity has not been released, pending notification of his family.

Deputies were searching the backyard of a home in the 6900 block of Dexter Street when a 32-year-old man emerged from the house with a gun, according to a .

Deputies “gave commands to the man” before two deputies shot him, sheriff’s officials said. Officials did not specify Tuesday morning what those commands were and said it was unknown if the man had fired his weapon.

It’s unclear if the man was connected to the earlier stabbing, which happened about one-tenth of a mile away from the shooting scene just after 1 a.m. Tuesday, near the intersection of East 70th Avenue and Dexter Street. That man fled before law enforcement arrived, prompting deputies to search the area, according to the sheriff’s office.

No deputies were injured in the shooting.

Paramedics took the man shot by deputies to the hospital with unknown injuries. His identity had not been released publicly Tuesday.

The deputies involved in the shooting were placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation, standard procedure for police shootings, sheriff’s officials said.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Thornton officers responded to a “bleeding and unresponsive” man at an , 8700 Grant St., just before 11 p.m. on March 25, according to an arrest affidavit. The parking lot was empty when officers arrived, aside from the injured man, but several people were spotted walking on a nearby bridge that connected the east and west RTD parking lots, the affidavit stated.

Paramedics took the man, identified in the affidavit as 29-year-old Stephen Rivas, to the hospital, where he died from a stab wound to the neck, police said. His brother, 25-year-old Zamien Rivas, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in his death, Adams County court records show.

The woman who called 911 told investigators that she heard the two brothers arguing in the parking lot about Stephen Rivas claiming to be a Crips gang member, according to the affidavit.

She called the police when she saw the older brother collapsed on the ground, but didn’t see what caused his injury, police said.

One man said he saw a man he believed to be Zamien Rivas collapse over Stephen Rivas’ body in the parking lot after the fight, yelling “no Stevie” and “don’t die Stevie,” the affidavit stated. Zamien Rivas and an unidentified girl ran from the parking lot to the RTD bus terminal when they heard police sirens, leaving Stephen’s body behind, the man told police.

The witness and his girlfriend ended up on the same bus as the couple who ran and overheard their conversation, according to the affidavit.

Zamien Rivas was crying and kept saying “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do this,” the girlfriend told police. She said she saw Zamien throw a knife during his fight with Stephen, which he picked up before fleeing the scene, the affidavit stated.

Zamien Rivas was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder and will next appear in court on May 14, according to court records. He is being held at the Adams County Sheriff’s Detention Facility without bail, .

A 45-year-old man who had last been seen near Table Mesa Drive in Boulder on July 4 was found safe Wednesday. .

June 18 -- 63-year-old man missing from Arapahoe County senior living center

Arapahoe County officials are searching for a man who went missing six days ago after leaving the Woodland Estates Senior Living Center, according to the sheriff's office.

Kevin Bailey was last seen at about 2 p.m. Friday at the front desk of the senior living center, 2500 S. Roslyn St., where he lives, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. The man was last wearing a black or dark blue sleeveless shirt, black pants or dark blue jeans and black mule-style sandals, sheriff's officials said.

Bailey told an employee that he wanted to ride the bus and visit friends, according to the agency. Before his disappearance, Bailey also told family members he was riding a bus and looking for work.

Bailey is described as a 6-foot, 150-pound Black man with gray hair and brown eyes.

Investigators believe he was in the Denver area on Friday evening, but his whereabouts are currently unknown, sheriff's officials said. His cell phone is no longer active, and he does not have access to money or a debit card, according to the agency.

Arapahoe County officials are concerned for Bailey’s safety because he has not had access to his daily prescription medications since June 11, according to the missing person alert.

Anyone who sees Bailey or who has information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711 or 911.

Arapahoe Sheriff Investigators Seek Public’s Help Locating Missing 63-Year-Old Man

Arapahoe County Sheriff Investigators are issuing an urgent public appeal for any information regarding Kevin Bailey, 63, who has been missing for five days. He was last seen on June 12, at…

— Arapahoe Sheriff (@ArapahoeSO)

May 17, 2026 -- Missing Jefferson County woman found safe

A developmentally disabled 22-year-old woman who was reported missing Friday has been found safe, according to law enforcement.

The woman, who functions like a 12-year-old, was last seen in Denver on May 12, . Sheriff's officials announced she had been and returned home just before 7 p.m. Saturday.

April 3, 2026 -- Missing man last seen in Denver before Christmas found safe

A 72-year-old man reported missing in early April after last being seen in Denver on Dec. 23 has been found safe, according to the police department.

The man was and found safe later that month, according to a .

April 2, 2026 -- Missing Adams County woman last seen at Henderson gas station

A 27-year-old Adams County woman is missing after she was last seen at a gas station in Henderson in January, sheriff's officials said.

BillyJo Jean Salazar was last seen at the 7-Eleven at 12060 E. 120th Ave. in the early hours of Jan. 23, the Adams County Sheriff's Office said in a missing person alert.

Salazar has not been seen or heard from since and her family hasn't been able to contact her.

UPDATED MISSING PERSON BULLETIN

On March 17, we shared a missing person bulletin for BillyJo Jean Salazar, 27, who has been missing since January 23, 2026. She is still missing, and we have updated the bulletin with clearer photographs.

Please help us spread the word…

— Adams County Sheriff's Office (Colorado) (@AdamsCoSheriff)

Salazar is described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 120 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She has tattoos on her neck, chest, hands and arms, the sheriff's office said.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts should call 911.

Editor's note: Read previous ongoing coverage of missing people in metro Denver here.

Iwoblu Villanueva is described as Indigenous with black hair and brown eyes. She is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds.

Missing Indigenous Person Activation
Iwoblu Villanueva, described as a 17-yoa last seen Wednesday, March 18, 2026.
May be traveling to Nebraska.

If seen, please call the Adams County Sheriff's Office at 303-288-1535.

— CBI (@CBI_Colorado)

Iwoblu may be traveling to Nebraska, according to the alert. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie, gray sweatpants, and high-top Nike shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Adams County Sheriff’s Office at 303-288-1535.

Witnesses last saw the 17-year-old boy in the 9200 block of Thornton’s York Street on March 20, according to a .

CBI officials announced Tuesday morning, nearly three weeks after he was last seen, that the teen had been found safe.

The two teens, who were not identified by police because they are juveniles, were arrested on charges of false reporting of explosives and false reporting of an active shooter, both felonies, and interference with staff or faculty of an educational facility, a misdemeanor, the said Wednesday evening.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across metro Denver responded to Adams City High, 7200 Quebec Parkway, around 1 p.m. after someone called 911 to report a bomb at the school and the presence of an active shooter, with wounded people supposedly inside the facility, authorities said.

Officials put the school on lockdown, with students and staff secured inside classrooms. Adams City High currently enrolls 1,422 students, according to state records.

Police entered the school, going room to room to clear the building and look for a shooter and any victims, officials said.

Once inside, officers found “what appeared to be a blood trail in several areas of the school,” Commerce City police said.

After searching the school for two hours, police determined there were no victims and no real threat. But they found and arrested two students “who were covered in what looked like fake blood — the same substance officers had encountered in parts of the building,” police said.

“For many, calls of this nature are their worst nightmare,” Commerce City police Chief Darrel Guadnola said in a statement. “Whether a first responder, a parent, a teacher or a student — most will never forget this day. The notion that this call may have been part of a prank is highly disturbing and pulled valuable law enforcement resources away from real emergencies in the Denver metro.”

No students were injured during the lockdown, but one experienced an unrelated medical issue and was transported to a hospital by paramedics as a precaution, . That student was later released to their parents.

District officials also noted that social media posts shared by people who weren’t employees of the district spread inaccurate information that may have alarmed families.

“Adams 14 encourages the public to avoid sharing unverified information on social media during incidents, as it can unintentionally increase fear and confusion for families, divert law enforcement resources and place additional strain on those working to protect students,” Adams 14 officials said in their statement.

Law enforcement officers from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Westminster Police Department, Thornton Police Department, RTD Police Department, Arvada Police Department, Aurora Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the school.

The bomb threat in Brighton prompted evacuations at the and a King Soopers grocery store on Wednesday, according to officials.

The bomb threat against the justice center, 1100 Judicial Center Drive, was received at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to a news release from the Brighton Police Department. Investigators determined the initial call came from the area of the King Soopers at 500 Bromley Lane in Brighton.

The evacuated the building. Brighton police responded to the grocery store. Although the store did not receive a threat, as initially reported, officers evacuated it as well out of caution.

Police dogs responded to the courthouse and the King Soopers and did not find any threats, Brighton police spokesperson Kerrigan Blandin said.

The identity of a person of interest is being withheld, pending the filing of charges.

The courthouse was reopened to the public at noon, Blandin said, and the King Soopers reopened at 10:45 a.m.

It’s unclear how the dozens of hearings and trials scheduled for Wednesday morning at the Adams County Courthouse were affected by the hours-long evacuation. Court officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.