THORNTON, Colo. — A Thornton police officer was shot and seriously wounded, and a suspect is dead after a physical altercation led to a shooting early Wednesday morning.
The department said one of its officers shot and killed the man — who was a suspect in an assault at a nearby gas station — after the suspect grabbed an officer's gun amid a struggle to detain the man near the intersection of Thornton Parkway and Gale Boulevard around 3:30 a.m.
"A physical struggle ensued, and the suspect grabbed for the officer's gun in its holster," Thornton PD said.
Police said the officer tried to hold onto his weapon during the altercation, but the gun went off, and the officer was struck. The officer was taken to a nearby hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
After the shooting, another Thornton officer shot the man, killing the suspect. The Adams County Coroner's Office will release his identity once his family has been notified.
It happened near an apartment complex, leaving neighbors on edge.
"That’s what woke us, and that was the gunshots. I put my hand over my daughter and told her not to sit up cause we didn’t know how close it was. We knew it was nearby, we didn’t think it was right outside our door," said Raejean Ortibez, a nearby resident.
Per standard protocol, the investigation will be turned over to the 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, and then the case will be reviewed by the district attorney's office.
