Barricaded suspect dead after officer-involved shooting in Pueblo
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - The Pueblo Police Department (PPD) asked the public to avoid the area of Valley Drive and South Drive Tuesday afternoon due to a standoff.
The PPD reported a heavy police presence in the area shortly after 2 p.m.
According to the PPD, they received multiple calls an hour earlier from residents in the 2100 block of Aztec Drive. The callers said there was a man with what they described as an "AR15-style rifle" and he was firing the gun.
Officers responded to the scene and attempted to contact the man. Sometime later, he was seen entering a residence in the nearby 2100 block of South Drive, the PPD said. Officers then surrounded the residence and attempted to tell the suspect to exit the residence.
According to the PPD, the suspect then shot at officers, and at least one officer returned fire. Following attempts to communicate with the suspect continued to be unsuccessful.
The PPD SWAT Team responded with crisis negotiators and drones. After continued unsuccessful attempts to contact the suspect, the SWAT team entered the residence, police said. They found the suspect and he was later declared dead by medical personnel.
No officers or other civilians were injured in the incident, the PPD said.
According to the PPD, the incident is now being investigated as an officer-involved shooting. The 10th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team, led by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, will be handling the investigation. The involved officers were placed on administrative leave per standard protocol. After appropriate notifications, the Pueblo County Coroner will identify the deceased suspect, the PPD said.
