22-year-old man charged with murder of Adams County deputy

A 22-year-old man is in custody for the murder of an Adams County deputy Wednesday evening that prompted a manhunt.

According to court records, Dreion Martise Dearing is charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer and burglary. Police haven’t officially confirmed that Dearing is the suspect who fatally shot Deputy Heath Gumm.

Dearing’s mugshot for the murder charge hasn’t been released yet, however a mugshot was available from a previous arrest. He’s scheduled for an advisement hearing at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The sheriff’s office had sought two other people after the incident, but said Friday that they were found and interviewed Thursday and were not taken into custody.

Gumm, who attended Mullen High School in the Denver area and joined the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in 2013, is survived by his wife and family

The shooting is the second in a month to kill a deputy in the Denver area. Douglas County Deputy Zackari Parrish was fatally shot in a Highlands Ranch apartment on Dec. 31.

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The Adams County Sheriff’s deputy who was shot and killed has been identified as Heath Gumm. That’s according to the Colorado Police Officers Foundation. He had served with the sheriff’s office since 2013.

One suspect is in custody and law enforcement officers are looking for two other suspects in the shooting. The only suspect description available for the pair is that they are light-skinned, black males or dark-skinned, Hispanic males.

Reports of the shooting began at around 8 p.m. when the Sheriff’s Office tweeted:

“Officer down, please avoid the area of 88th and Dawson Street. Large perimeter with suspect still at large. Those of you in that area, please seek shelter away from the doors and windows.”

Some living in the neighborhood told Denver media outlets that multiple shots were heard earlier in the evening at around 7:30 p.m. The sheriff’s office said that deputies were responding to an assault in progress call. When they arrived, several people dispersed from the location. Deputies found the man fitting the suspect description, and attempted to chase after him. The suspect then pulled out a firearm and shot one of the deputies in the chest.

Several agencies responded to the scene to assist with the manhunt.

This is the second officer-involved shooting in Colorado within a month. On December 31, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Zackari Parrish was gunned down while investigating a disturbance at an apartment complex in Highlands Ranch. Three other deputies and a Castle Rock police officer were injured in the ambush shooting.

Soon after the Adams County Sheriff’s Office tweeted about their injured officer, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reached out via Twitter.

Once the news about the deputy’s death was confirmed on Wednesday night, Gov. John Hickenlooper released the following statement:

“Tonight we watched as a community was on edge and a sheriff’s deputy was shot while responding to a call in Adams County. We are deeply saddened to learn that the deputy has died from injuries sustained in the shooting. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and the family and friends of the deputy killed.

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