Five Pueblo Police officers on leave following three officer-involved shootings in four days
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- After a string of officer-involved shootings in Pueblo, 13 Investigates has learned that five officers with the Pueblo Police Department are out on administrative leave.
In the last week of June, Pueblo experienced three officer-involved shootings over four days.
"It's something we all know could potentially happen," Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller said. "Each of us knows when we come into this job that that is a potential eventuality, but to have three of them so closely together, it's pretty tough on the guys."
The first shooting happened on June 26 along 6th Ave and 28th St. According to the PPD, this incident involved a man waving a firearm in the area. Police later said the man involved was suicidal. That man, later identified as Brett Chapman, died.
On June 28, officers were sent on a chase down I-25 after three suspects accused of stealing an ATM from Sunflower Bank. As officers continued the pursuit, the suspects pointed at least one firearm out the window and began firing rounds at officers while driving. According to the PPD, one officer returned fire.
Then, on June 29, officers were involved in a deadly shooting with a man near Fountain Creek. According to police, officers were called to the area on reports of a shooting that left one woman injured with gunshot wounds. When two officers tried approaching the suspect, police say that's when 66-year-old Mark Sales fired rounds at the officers, shattering the passenger window. The two officers returned fire, hitting Sales. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It's violent behavior in Pueblo that Chief Noeller warned could happen when 13 Investigates spoke to him about repeat offenders in Pueblo.
"When my officers are repeatedly arresting the same violent offender with weapons over and over again, at some point, they are either going to shoot my officers, or my officers are going to have to shoot them. When that person is in jail, when that person is in prison, that's not going to happen," Noeller said on March 8.
Wednesday, Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller tells 13 Investigates five of his patrol officers are out on paid administrative leave after being involved in the three officer-involved shootings.
In September 2021, KRDO learned that PPD was short 31 patrol officers because of hiring struggles. Many of those struggles, Noeller said, may be rooted in a sentiment that nobody wants to be a cop in today's day and age.
Now, the department is short 27 patrol officers. The Chief says shortages are still making an impact on the the lower-level 911 calls.
"We are still able to get to the important calls. I'll say you know your life threatening, personal injury type calls, major motor vehicle accidents pretty quickly, but our responses time on other calls are getting drug out a little bit more," Noeller said.
Noeller says he has grown frustrated with his officers repeatedly being put in danger. He argues that a citizen with a weapon has a choice, a choice that doesn't have to end deadly.
"At the end of the day, the suspect gets a vote on how that contact ends and in situation across the country, not just here in Pueblo, where officers are having to use lethal force, it's the suspect who makes that determination," Noeller said.
Help in on the horizon for the police force though. Noeller said he expects 21 trainees to have their 26-week training period completed by the end of July or early August. He says a major part of their training period is focused on deescalation tactics and use of force techniques.
