Officers identified in Monte Vista fatal shooting

Abbey Soukup, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·1 min read

Mar. 30—The Colorado Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday identified two officers who fatally shot a man when investigators say he tried to stab police during a 911 call in Rio Grande County in south-central Colorado.

Monte Vista police Sgt. Michael Martinez and Cpl. David Pino have been on administrative leave since the shooting on March 21 that left an 18-year-old man dead.

Officers were sent to 1007 S. Broadway Street in Monte Vista around 12:35 p.m. for a report of a violent suspect in a home who was wielding two knives.

A man jumped from a front window of the home and began running at police while swinging both knives, "barely missing the officers," according to a news release.

Pino deployed his Taser, and Martinez fired his handgun. Pino also fired his gun as he fell backward. The suspect, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting remains under investigation, according to the CBI. Monte Vista is about 180 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.