STERLING, Colo. – Police say the man shot by an officer in Sterling Tuesday evening was wanted on attempted murder and other charges and that he was shot after pulling a weapon on the officer during a foot pursuit.
The Sterling police officer shot Douglas Sanchez, 54, sometime not long after 7 p.m. Tuesday. Officers had been called on a report that Sanchez was at a convenience store in the city around 7 p.m.
Sterling police they responded because Sanchez was wanted in connection with several charges relating to a Sept. 30 shooting.
As they responded to the store, officers were told he was leaving, so they conducted a traffic stop in the 400 block of S. 6th Ave., according to police.
There, Sanchez, who was a passenger in the vehicle, fled down an alley on foot. A Sterling officer chased him a short distannce before Sanchez allegedly stopped and confronted the officer with a weapon, which is when the officer shot him.
The officer involved in the shooting has not been identified but has been placed on standard administrative leave. Sanchez’s condition is unknown after he was first taken to Sterling Regional Medical Center and then flown to a hospital in the metro area, police said. No one else was injured.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.