A suspect who was firing shots into the Boulder Creek on Central Park was shot and injured by Boulder police following a confrontation Sunday afternoon. A second person of interest in this shooting remains at-large, police said.
The shooting was reported at around 2:15 p.m. When officers arrived at the scene, they confronted the armed suspect and shots were fired. At least one police officer fired back and shot the suspect, who was taken to Boulder Community Hospital.
Witnesses said it took the whole area by surprise when they heard gun shots ring out.
"I was writing in my journal, I saw a man under a bridge kind of pacing weird,” said Lindsay Calloway. "I heard like this weird ricochet sound which I thought, he must have been shooting a gun at the water.”
Heavy police presence was seen on Broadway between Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue as officers searched for the second person of interest in Central Park.
Denver7 reporter Mark Boyle said there was a second crime scene police were checking out next to the Mustard's Last Stand restaurant, after another round of shots were fired approximately 20 minutes following the initial confrontation with the suspect.
Still waiting for official @BoulderPolice information on what exactly happened along Boulder creek near Broadway. pic.twitter.com/BgGjtdzrFS
— James Dougherty (@DoughertyKMGH) May 22, 2016
Police do not know if the shots came from the second person of interest they were looking for, or if it's unrelated to the initial shooting.
Officers with rifles were checking cars and Central Park was closed off at 13th and Arapahoe, according to Denver7 photojournalist James Dougherty.
Police were also checking out the Boulder Creek under the Broadway bridge as they continued to check the area. The Boulder Fire Department Dive Team also got in Boulder Creek looking for evidence.
Investigators combing scene of officer involved shooting in #BoulderCO. Both sidewalks over Boulder Crk @ Bdwy clsed pic.twitter.com/CQ10FjPkJO
— James Dougherty (@DoughertyKMGH) May 23, 2016
Broadway was open both directions despite the heavy police presence.
The shooting happened at the same time actor Shia LaBeouf was visiting the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art for a scheduled event.
Museum director Shannon Dial-Kay said she was locked down with LaBeouf and hundreds of others at the time. She said even though the event didn't stick to script, LaBeouf spent the extra time mingling with artists from the area.
.@BMoCA confirms Shia LaBeouf was locked down in building for ~1.5 hrs while @BoulderPolice handled shooting outside https://t.co/utTAY2CfjG
— James Dougherty (@DoughertyKMGH) May 23, 2016
"It showed something really beautiful about the community and the artists that we had and make the most of it even though we were locked in a museum," said Dial-Kay.
No officers were injured in the shooting. The condition of the armed suspect is unknown at this time.
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