THORNTON, Colo. — One person is dead after a Thornton police officer shot a man near the Carpenter Recreation Center Tuesday morning, the Thornton Police Department said in a news release.
This is an officer involved shooting. One adult male transported to area hospital. Officer involved is not injured. Updates here… pic.twitter.com/wjsHA1uOoq
— Thornton Police Dept (@ThorntonPolice) May 14, 2024
"At about 7:55 A.M., a Thornton Police officer observed a car driving erratically near the intersection of E. 112th Ave. and Colorado Blvd.," Thornton PD said in its news release.
The officer stopped the driver, but the man behind the wheel got out and starting running according to Thornton police. The officer who made the traffic stop called for backup.
The other Thornton police officer who arrived on scene saw the driver in a nearby parking lot, the news release said. The man that the officer followed shot his gun. The officer returned fire, hitting the man.
The man was taken to a nearby hospital, Thornton PD said, where he was later pronounced dead.
The officer involved in the shoot-out was not injured. Thornton police said the officer will be put on administrative leave as is standard protocol.
The Adams County Coroner's Office will release the identity of the man who died once family has been notified.
The investigation will be turned over to the 17th Judicial District's Critical Incident Response Team. When that is finished, the Adams County District Attorney's Office will review the case.
