Larimer County deputies involved in fatal shooting in Weld County

Kelly Lyell, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·2 min read

A Larimer County Sheriff’s Office deputy fatally shot a person during a pursuit into neighboring Weld County on Thursday evening, spurring an investigation by the 19th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team.

According to a spokesperson for Larimer County Sheriff's Office, the incident began when deputies attempted a traffic stop of a vehicle about 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Weld County Road 7 and Colorado Highway 60, just west of Interstate 25. Colorado 60 is the Johnstown exit off I-25.

A news release from the 19th Judicial District CIRT team and a Facebook post from Larimer County Sheriff's Office described a passenger in that vehicle as a "known fugitive." Officials say that passenger fired shots at pursuing deputies while the vehicle attempted to elude them, according to a post on the Larimer County Sheriff’s Facebook page.

Officials say the passenger was shot and fatally wounded after fleeing on foot into a field near Weld County Road 38 just east of Interstate 25 when the vehicle stopped, shortly after the passenger is said to have fired at the deputies. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office's Facebook post said one of the deputies shot the individual.

More: Man sentenced to life in prison after Link Lane killing; defense calls sentence unfair

CIRT investigations are automatically and immediately activated when a police officer is involved in a shooting, due to a state law requiring a multi-agency team to investigate "an incident involving the discharge of a firearm by a peace officer that resulted in injury or death." When an incident occurs in Larimer County, the 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team investigates. This incident is being investigated by Weld County's CIRT team, which will be led by Greeley police for this investigation.

The deceased individual’s identity will be released by the Weld County Coroner’s Office at a later date, according to Kent Keller, a spokesperson for the Greeley Police Department.

The identities of the deputies involved were not immediately available, Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jenevieve Kramer said.

If anyone in the community has information to share, they are asked to contact Greeley Police Detective Fidel Sanchez at 970-351-5394.

'Don't assume you're immune': Thefts from vehicles at trails, parks spike in summer

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

Kelly Lyell reports on CSU, high school and other local sports and topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, follow him on Twitter @KellyLyell and find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. If you 're a subscriber, thank you for your support. If not, please consider purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Larimer County deputies involved in fatal shooting in Weld County