GREELEY, Colo. — The suspect in a shooting outside UCHealth Greeley Hospital that prompted a precautionary lockdown Thursday morning was found deceased and a shooting victim is expected to survive, Greeley police said.
Around 8 a.m. Thursday, officers with the Greeley Police Department responded to a shooting that had just occurred in the parking lot of the hospital, located at 6767 W. 29th St.
A woman, 35, with multiple gunshot wounds had walked into the emergency room. Greeley police said the victim is expected to survive her injuries.
They identified a 38-year-old man as the suspect. The man had fled the scene.
The hospital was put on a precautionary lockdown during this time. That was lifted around 11 a.m.
As detectives and officers investigated the shooting scene outside the hospital, they learned that the suspect had fled to a home along the 1900 block of McNitt Street in Evans, which is about 5.5 miles east of the hospital.
Officers who responded to McNitt Street found a car on fire outside the home and called in for help from fire personnel, Greeley police said. Officers "briefly made contact with the suspect" before he barricaded himself in the home.
The Greeley SWAT Team and Weld County Regional SWAT Team were both activated and responded to the McNitt Street home.
"While attempting to reach the suspect, the vehicle fire spread to the residence where the suspect was occupying," Greeley police said. "Fire crews managed to extinguish the fire and SWAT teams continued their efforts to contact the suspect with no response. Eventually, SWAT made entry into the home and located the suspect, who was found deceased."
Because the McNitt Street home was close to Chappelow Arts Magnet School and Dos Rios Elementary School, both schools were temporarily placed on a lockdown status. Evans police were around the schools as a precaution, according to the Greeley Police Department. That lockdown status has since been lifted and the school has resumed its normal operations.
Greeley police said they believe the victim and suspect knew each other, and do not think this was a random incident. There is no threat to the public, the hospital or any nearby schools, they added.
The suspect has not been identified pending notification of next-of-kin.
"We are working closely with Greeley police, who think this may be an isolated case of domestic violence," a UCHealth spokesman told Denver7. "While we don’t believe there is an ongoing threat, we have extra security on campus to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, staff and providers."
The hospital did say Thursday morning that it was rescheduling some procedures amid the precautionary lockdown.
Anyone with information about the incident who has not already talked with Greeley police is asked to call 970-350-9605.