Suspect shot by Pueblo police after pulling out a weapon
An investigation is underway Wednesday following a confrontation that led to a police officer opening fire after a suspect pulled out a weapon in Pueblo.
The shooting happened around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Police said the incident started with a family conflict at a home in the 1500 block of Neilson Avenue, a half mile from the shooting scene on the city’s east side.
When police tried to contact a suspect, he pulled out a weapon — pointing it toward an officer — and the officer opened fire, police said.
Police then chased the suspect to the area of Amarillo Avenue and East 10th Street.
The suspect was shot, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, police said.
The weapon was recovered at the scene but police provided no further details.
“I heard seven shots,” said Alicia Abeyta, a neighbor holding her dog as she watched part of the neighborhood covered in crime scene tape while officers investigated the incident. “I was worried about my kids being safe, so I got them inside.”
Another neighbor, Diana Ortiz, came to the scene to check on her 94-year-old aunt, who lives around the corner.
“I’d hate to think that the suspect would have run to her house,” Ortiz said. “Or she could have come out to see what was going on, and gotten shot in the crossfire.”
Ortiz said her aunt was fine and was unaware of the incident.
The names of the officer and the suspect haven’t been released.
The officer is now on paid administrative leave while the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office investigates the shooting. The District Attorney’s Office ultimately will decide if the shooting was justified.
