AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora police officer is seriously injured after being stabbed in the head; the 23-year-old man who police say stabbed the officer is dead after being shot by police in the incident at an apartment complex just east of Cherry Creek State Park, a spokesperson with the police department said Thursday.
"Every aspect of this is problematic. Every aspect of this is troubling," Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said at the press conference. "And again, like I said, I am thankful that our officer is not dead laying back there on that sidewalk."
Denver7's Claire Lavezzorio reported from the scene. Watch in the video player below.
The incident was reported on X by Aurora police shortly after 4:30 p.m. It happened near the intersection of East Standford Circle and E. Tufts Drive.
Police said they responded to a call from Aurora Mental Health about a suicidal man around 3:30 p.m. Aurora Mental Health had had contact with him previously, and he had a mental health hold, police said. Chamberlain said the city's Crisis Response Team, which dispatches a sworn officer with a mental health clinician, responded to the call as well.
When the call came in, "they talked about the safety and the wellbeing of the suspect, but they also talked about the safety and the wellbeing of the mother, and I believe it was also a grandparent who lived in that house," he said. "And also, I think you have to consider the safety of this entire community."
When officials arrived on the scene, police said they initially reached the man by phone, but that he eventually refused to communicate.
"He had a large, very large butcher knife, and he was holding it to his neck, and he was continuing to make threats against himself and also kill anybody in and around the area, which included the officers," Chamberlain said.
Officers then attempted to contain the scene, Chamberlain said, but the man rushed out of his door with the knife "without any warning, without any verbalization, and unfortunately, without any discussion."
Chamberlain said the man then charged a K-9 officer who was on the scene with his dog and "began to thrash and stab the knife" into the officer's head.
"The stabbing was so aggressive, and it was so forceful" that part of the knife broke off in the officer's head, Chamberlain said.
The officer then shot the man, and both fell to the ground, Chamberlain said. Both received immediate medical attention on the scene before being transported to the hospital, where the suspect died.
The officer was undergoing surgery, police said, and is expected to survive. The dog was also stabbed and is expected to recover, an Aurora Police Department spokesperson said Thursday evening.
The officer, who has not been named, has been with APD since 2002 and has been on the K-9 unit since 2012, according to the release.
The incident will be investigated by the 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, which investigates shootings involving police. APD is also conducting an administrative review, the release said.
Watch Aurora PD's full press conference in the video player below:
This is a developing story that may be updated.
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