LAFAYETTE, Colo. — While investigating a report of a stolen vehicle in Lafayette, police were involved in a shooting with a suspect, in which the suspect was killed and an officer was struck in the leg.
Around 1:22 a.m. Tuesday, officers with the Lafayette Police Department learned via an automated license plate reader that a stolen vehicle was in the area of W. South Boulder Road and Dixon Avenue. The vehicle was a silver Toyota Camry.
Officers located the car at the Circle K located at 225 W. South Boulder Road, but nobody was inside. Shortly afterward, police saw two people leave the store and walk toward the car. They then fled on foot, but one returned to the car, said Brian Rosipajla, deputy chief at the Lafayette Police Department.
That person, a male suspect, who was armed, opened fire at the officers, police said. The suspect hit one of the Lafayette officers in the leg.
The same officer returned fire, Rosipajla said. Just afterward, the suspect was found deceased inside the vehicle.
The second suspect, only identified as a juvenile female, was found and detained.
The injured officer, who has only been with the department for a couple months, was transported to a hospital, Rosipajla said. He was released later in the morning.
On Wednesday morning, the Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified the suspect as Ethan Huiras, 20.
Rosipajla said it was not yet clear where the vehicle was stolen from, but that Lafayette has automated license plate readers across the city to catch drivers in stolen vehicles. He said this is a crucial part of reducing crime due to the unlawful activity many suspects do after stealing a car.
The reader that scanned the license plate of the car the suspect was driving was installed within the past few months. It's part of a system of at least 24 readers the department is using across the city as part of a pilot program with Flock Safety. Records show the department hopes to get approval for the purchase of the system in 2023.
The Boulder County Investigation Team is investigating this police shooting. The officer who fired at the suspect is on administrative leave.
Police said there is no threat to the public.
This marks the second police-involved shooting in Lafayette in 2022. On April 16, a man wanted on multiple charges, including domestic violence, was shot by police.