Man shot by Fort Collins police remains in hospital, expected to face charges
The man shot and injured by Fort Collins police at an apartment last week remains hospitalized but is expected to face multiple felony charges related to the incident, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday.
A Fort Collins police officer shot and injured the man Sept. 2 while trying to arrest another man wanted on an outstanding felony warrant.
Officers first responded to an apartment in the 1200 block of East Stuart Street just after noon Sept. 2, after a report of a disturbance, the Coloradoan previously reported. The apartment is near the intersection of Lemay Avenue and Stuart Street west of Edora Park.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office, which is leading the 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team investigation into the shooting, said police learned the man with an outstanding felony warrant — who they say had been at the apartment earlier but left before they responded to the disturbance — was back at the property.
The sheriff's office said the man was found inside the apartment and jumped from the balcony while fleeing from police but was stopped by other officers outside, arrested and taken to a hospital for injuries sustained from jumping off the balcony.
Isaac Roy Philip Cordova, 40, was booked into Larimer County Jail that day, according to jail records. He has been charged with second-degree burglary, a Class 3 felony, as well as a misdemeanor in a case stemming from a May 23 incident, according to online court records.
Recent breaking news:Fire northwest of Fort Collins still burning, but calmed overnight
He's also been charged with two misdemeanors and a drug petty offense in connection with the Sept. 2 incident. As of noon Friday, he remained in jail custody, according to online jail records.
The sheriff's office said Thursday that during the alleged escape attempt, another man approached police and pointed a gun at them. A Fort Collins police officer fired his duty weapon and shot that man, who was among "several other people inside the apartment," according to the sheriff's office.
The man shot by police, identified by the sheriff's office as 18-year-old Michael Steven Wayne Cordova, remains in the hospital. The sheriff's office identified Michael Cordova as Isaac Cordova's son but said Isaac Cordova did not live at the apartment where Michael Cordova was shot.
Investigators plan to seek multiple felony charges against Michael Cordova when he is released from the hospital, according to the sheriff's office. As of noon Friday, he was not listed as an inmate at the jail. The Coloradoan will report charges after they are filed by the district attorney's office.
No officers or other individuals were injured in the shooting.
The 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and the sheriff's office said it will not release more information "until the necessary follow-up has been completed and the case has been presented to" District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin.
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.
How CIRT works
The 8th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, or CIRT, was formed in 2015 in accordance with a new state law requiring a multiagency team to investigate "an incident involving the discharge of a firearm by a peace officer that resulted in injury or death."
The team is automatically and immediately activated when a police officer is involved in a shooting. The agency that employs the officer or officers involved in a shooting is responsible for alerting the team.
CIRT can also investigate incidents involving officers that result in serious injury or death, including car crashes, as well as incidents in the Larimer County Jail.
Fort Collins Police Services, Loveland Police Department and the Larimer County Sheriff's Office take turns being the lead agency for police shooting investigations. Each year, the responsibility rotates to a different agency.
Agencies involved in the investigations include: Windsor Police Department, Timnath Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Estes Park Police Department, Colorado State University Police Department, Colorado State Patrol and the Larimer County District Attorney's Office.
An agency cannot investigate itself.
After a CIRT investigation is completed, the report is presented to the district attorney, who decides if any criminal charges will be filed related to the incident.
Coloradoan reporter Sady Swanson contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Man shot by Fort Collins police remains in hospital
