THORNTON, Colo. — A man died by suicide nearly an hour and a half of negotiations with Thornton authorities Thursday, according to the Thornton Police Department.
Around 3:55 p.m., officers responded to a family who said one of their family members was acting erratic and appeared unstable. The family member, an adult male, was reportedly driving around a family member's home, according to Thornton police.
When officers arrived, they found the man inside his vehicle in the 7000 block of 120th Avenue. The man pulled out a gun and shot at the officer who contacted him, police said. Officers then returned fire. Police initially said no one was injured. However, an autopsy revealed the man sustained a gunshot wound on his foot.
A Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) trained police negotiator attempted to deescalate the situation and get the man to put down the gun, but it did not work, according to police. Following negotiations that lasted nearly an hour and a half, police said the man shot himself while outside of the vehicle. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
His identity is being withheld pending positive identification by the Adams County Coroners Office.
The 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team will investigate the case, and the conclusion will be reviewed by the district attorney's office. The involved officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, per standard protocol.