Candlelight Vigil Held for Deputy Killed in Thornton
Dozens gathered inside a Thornton church to honor the life and sacrifice of Adams County sheriff’s deputy Heath Gumm who was killed earlier this week.
Samantha Shearer is one of those people who gathered at Rock Assembly of God Church to remember Gumm. Shearer says, “I met him a couple of times he was a really good guy. My husband says he always had a good smile on and he was always very approachable and a great person at work.”
Shearer’s husband worked with Gumm at the Sheriff’s Office. The death of her husband’s teammate has been difficult for them to handle. “It’s definitely terrifying,” Shearer says, “it’s been a rough last couple of days for sure. We’ve been trying to cope together and take it all in.”
Hours before the vigil, Adams County sheriff Michael McIntosh held another press conference about the shooting. Not many new details were given, but he says he and his deputies are still mourning the loss of their friend and coworker. While at the same time maintaining law and order of the county.
“That doesn’t stop just because we are doing an investigation like this,” McIntosh says, “so as you can imagine we are burning the candle at both ends.”
The sheriff spoke briefly about what the sheriff’s office has endured over the last few days. He says they will continue their duties, just like deputy Gumm would. McIntosh says, “the conversations I have had with his teammates, they absolutely loved that guy.”
No new information will be given out this weekend. The sheriff hopes to have updates on the shooting and the disturbance call that led to the fatal altercation within the first part of next week.
