BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder Fire-Rescue confirmed that the armed man who died by suicide Monday following a four-hour standoff with police was a terminated firefighter.
Around 11:36 a.m. Monday, the Boulder Police Department received a call for a welfare check for a man with a gun who was threatening to shoot himself and others. Two hours later, the University of Colorado Boulder Police Department received a call from someone who saw a gun fall out of the pants of a man who was walking on campus. The man put the firearm back in his pants, ran to a vehicle and drove away, according to Boulder PD.
Investigators connected the two phone calls and eventually identified the armed suspect, who had an active domestic violence protection order against him. Boulder PD learned the man was looking for a former romantic partner.
Just after 3 p.m., authorities pinned the man's vehicle on 40th Street just north of Table Mesa Drive. Boulder PD said officers ordered the man to drop a firearm he was holding but he refused.
SWAT officers talked with the man for more than four hours. However, around 7:15 p.m., the man died by suicide, according to Boulder police.
On Tuesday, the Boulder County Coroner's Office identified the man as 20-year-old Joshua Provenza.
Boulder
Armed man dies by suicide after 4-hour standoff with Boulder PD SWAT officers
In a post on X Wednesday, Boulder Fire-Rescue confirmed Provenza was a terminated firefighter.
According to the agency, Provenza was a probationary firefighter with Boulder Fire-Rescue from August 2023 through March 2024. He was terminated in March 2024 after he "violated the Boulder Fire-Rescue Code of Ethics and department policy." The department did not provide further details about what led to his termination.
"The action to end Mr. Provenza’s employment was consistent with our values as an organization and with the expectations we have of all staff members," Boulder Fire-Rescue said.
The department said its personnel were involved in Monday's standoff and "worked tirelessly and in accordance with best practices to try to bring the situation to a peaceful resolution."
"The loss of any life is a tragedy, which as first responders we try to avoid at all costs," Boulder Fire-Rescue said. "We appreciate the complex feelings of grief in this situation and hope that his family and loved ones find peace."
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