UPDATE | Dec. 19, 1:15 p.m. — The Boulder County Coroner’s Office has identified the woman who died on Dec. 17 in a police shooting at 51-year-old Jeanette Alatorre.
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BOULDER, Colo. — A woman died after a Boulder police shooting near the North Boulder Rec Center on Sunday night.
Around 4:10 p.m. Sunday, a man called 911 to report that as he started to drive away from the rec center — located at 3170 Broadway — a woman pointed a gun at him, Boulder Deputy Chief Ron Gosage said during a press conference Monday afternoon.
He said officers arrived at 4:12 p.m. and found the woman near the building about two minutes later.
“The suspect did not comply with officers’ verbal commands," Gosage said. "Instead, she headed northbound on Broadway on foot.”
Officers followed her and tried to gain compliance, but the woman did not cooperate and continued to turn down side streets, Gosage said. Officers used less-lethal attempts to get her to comply. Around this time, they saw her remove a gun from her purse, he said.
“De-escalation attempts proved unsuccessful and officers discharged their weapons, striking the suspect at approximately 4:26 p.m.," Gosage said.
He said he believed police shot twice, but it was not clear how many times the woman was hit.
The officers administered aid until Boulder Fire Rescue arrived a few minutes later. About 40 minutes later, she died. She has not been identified.
No officers or other people were injured, Gosage said. The Boulder County Critical Incident Response Team was called to the scene and will interview witnesses and the officers involved. They will present their findings to the district attorney's office.
During the subsequent investigation at the scene, police determined the woman was holding a replica Beretta pistol.
“It looks like a firearm, it feels like a firearm," Gosage said. "It says Beretta on it. It looks like a pistol.”
District Attorney Michael Dougherty said replica guns do not function like real firearms. The one found at the scene will be forensically analyzed by the experts.
“The fact that this was a replica firearm makes this all the more tragic," he said.
The involved officers are on administrative leave with pay, per protocol.
Gosage added that detectives are also looking for information on a trespassing call that police responded to earlier in the day on Sunday, around 3:13 p.m. There was a report of a woman in the rec center bathroom who was refusing to leave. Police said they believe she is the same woman who was later shot.
“The use of deadly force is something that no officer wants to do," Gosage said. "The taking of a life is the most serious action an officer can take. The incident is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the friends and family of the woman who died.”
Anybody who believes they saw this incident is asked to contact the Boulder Police Department at 303-441-4444.
