COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Authorities are searching for a suspect after a Colorado Springs police officer was shot during a traffic stop Friday night.
The male officer, who has not been identified, is in “stable” condition and is being treated at a local hospital.
Police identified the suspect Saturday as Jacob Aaron Sedillo, a 25-year-old resident of Colorado Springs. He is wanted for attempted first-degree murder and remains at large as of Saturday afternoon.
The shooting happened around 8 p.m. after the officer contacted two "suspicious" motorcyclists in the parking lot of an Auto Zone at 3110 N Nevada Ave, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
During the contact, police said one of the motorcycle riders, Sedillo, fired a weapon at the officer, striking the officer at least one time. The officer did not return fire, police said. It's not clear if the officer was wearing a protective vest.
“The suspect, one of the motorcycle operators, produced a firearm and fired multiple times at the officer, striking him at least once,” said Lt. James Sokolik with the Colorado Springs Police Department.
After the shooting, Sedillo fled the scene, while the other motorcycle rider remained. It’s not known if the other rider was arrested.
Sedillo is described as a 5'11" tall white male, approximately 165 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who has information of the whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call the CSPD at (719) 444-7000; or the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477.
This is the second shooting of a police officer in Colorado this year.
A Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy, Michael Hutton, was ambushed and shot several times after responding to a report of a theft from a semi-trailer near Limon on May 20. Hutton was released from the hospital five days later.
The suspect, Tristin Ensinger, 25, of Ohio, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.