Pueblo deputy fatally shoots carjacking suspect, investigation underway
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- An investigation is underway after a Pueblo County deputy fired multiple shots at a carjacking suspect running between houses in the Mesa Junction neighborhood Saturday morning.
The fatal shooting was reported shortly after 7 a.m. near 312 Quincy Street. No officers have been reported injured. A KRDO reporter near the scene reported hearing multiple gunshots.
KRDO obtained a video from a witness that shows a man running between two houses before an officer opens fire on him. The video starts several seconds before the first shot, but it doesn't show the lead-up to the shooting.
(WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised)
One deputy tells the man, "Get on the ground! Get down!" Then he fires his handgun several times at the man, who can be seen running toward the deputy. It's not clear if the man has an object in his hand.
The man falls to the ground in front of a house, and a deputy fires several more shots at his body. The video then shows several officers come from the same area that the suspect originated from between the houses.
The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office tells us that the man was wanted in connection with an armed carjacking that happened earlier Saturday morning.
Deputies were responding to the call around 6:30 a.m. at the Pueblo Youth Center on 17th Street after a woman reported a man pointed a gun at her, threatened her and stole her car.
While investigating, a Pueblo police officer reported seeing a vehicle that matched the car's description as it was driving 'recklessly' in the downtown area, deputies say.
A sheriff's deputy then saw the vehicle going westbound on Fourth Street and tried to stop the suspect. The suspect avoided him, leading the deputy on a brief pursuit and nearly hitting an off-duty deputy's vehicle in the process.
Pueblo police officers in the area saw the suspect vehicle driving with a flat tire and helped deputies search the area, finding that the vehicle had crashed into a light pole in an alley between Colorado Ave. and Quincy St.
The suspect then fled, leading both deputies and police officers in pursuit on foot. The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office says the suspect advanced toward deputies with a handgun in the 300 block of Quincy Street. That's when shots were fired by a sheriff's deputy.
The suspect was pronounced dead on scene. The names of the suspect and the deputy involved are not being released at this time, said the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office. The deputy involved has been placed on routine paid administrative leave.
The area near Quincy Street and Pitkin Ave. was blocked off while police conduct the investigation.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
