DENVER – Five police officers were shot and one of them killed by a man in the western state of Colorado on Sunday that capped a year of deadly attacks in the United States.
The gunman was shot by deputies and was “believed to be deceased,” after he fired more than 100 rounds at the cops in what authorities called an ambush. Two civilians were also injured, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the shooting occurred at a home at the Copper Canyon Apartments, a landscaped complex in Highlands Ranch, 16 miles (28 kilometers) south of Denver.
Two civilians also were shot and the suspect was shot and killed by police, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said.
The four injured officers are in stable condition, Spurlock told reporters. Deputy Zackari Parrish, 29, was killed.
Residents in the area were ordered to shelter in place.
“I do know that all of them were shot very, very quickly. They all went down almost within seconds of each other, so it was more of an ambush-type of attack on our officers,” Spurlock said. “He knew we were coming and we obviously let him know that we were there.”
The suspect was well-known to authorities but Spurlock declined to name him until his identity was confirmed.
The four injured officers, who range in age from 28 to 41, were in stable condition, and the two civilian injuries were not life-threatening, the CNN reported.
President Donald Trump expressed sorrow, writing on Twitter, “My deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County @dcsheriff, and their families. We love our police and law enforcement – God Bless them all!”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/947536951464333318?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
The shooting occurred on the final day of a year that saw the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history in Las Vegas.
