Update 4.33pm: A shooting incident in the parking lot of Glenwood Meadows Shopping Center Monday afternoon left a white male suspect dead after an encounter with Glenwood Springs police officers. The incident began around 1 p.m. when officers on routine patrol recognized the man, who had an arrest warrant for a felony weapons-related offense.
“When they approached the individual, they were wearing their full uniform,” said Glenwood Springs Police Chief Joseph Deras. “The individual obviously recognized that they were police officers and immediately drew a firearm.”
The officers retreated and opened fire, wounding the suspect. As the suspect approached his vehicle, the officers resumed their position and engaged him again, firing more shots.
“An officer was involved in the shooting, and the suspect was injured and fled behind the vehicle,” Deras said. “At that time, they (the officers) did not know if he was fatally wounded, attempted to re-arm himself, or swapped magazines or other ammunition with his weapon.”
Deras described the suspect’s weapon as “a high capacity firearm with multiple cartridges in the weapon itself, and from what I understand the suspect also had access to additional ammunition.”
The crime scene was secured by police and the Glenwood Springs Fire Department pronounced the suspect dead at the scene.
“At this point, the suspect and the immediate area were under control,” Deras said.
The perpetrator, who was not identified, was a white man from the Roaring Fork Valley area, according to Deras. No civilians or police officers were injured in the incident, although several people in the stores were considered witnesses and later released.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the crime scene investigation while the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the criminal investigation. Glenwood Springs Police are conducting a parallel administrative investigation into officer involvement. The officer who fired the shots has been placed on routine leave.
The mall will remain an active crime scene throughout Monday afternoon and private property in the area will be inaccessible for several hours.
The investigation is ongoing and further details, including the number of shots fired, will be part of the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation.
