Rally to ask: Why won’t El Paso County release deputy’s autopsy?

UPDATE: Tuesday’s rally was canceled late at the request of Thomas Villanueva’s attorney. It’s unknown if another rally will be scheduled in the future.

Earlier

It’s been more than six months since the tragic day that El Paso County Deputy Micah Flick was fatally shot and other officers were wounded during the attempted arrest of an auto theft suspect in east Colorado Springs.

But just about every official detail surrounding the shooting is listed in the above sentence, and a rally is planned for Tuesday in protest against the latest move to keep the case a secret.

The Colorado Springs Police Department and the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office have been investigating for months and have released no other information, including who shot who and what led up to the arrest gone awry. In addition to Flick’s and the suspect’s deaths on Feb. 5, several other law enforcement officers were wounded and an innocent bystander was left paralyzed.

Last month, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office filed a request to permanently seal the autopsy records for Flick and the auto theft suspect, 19-year-old Manuel Zetina. This was in response to Colorado Open Records Act requests by the Colorado Springs Independent and The Gazette for those autopsy records.

Coroner Robert Bux cites multiple reasons for sealing the autopsy records, including the ongoing investigation and the “grief” it would cause for Flick’s surviving family members.

But the Independent reports that some local law enforcement officers, speaking on the condition of anonymity out of fear of losing their jobs, called into question the tactics and procedure before the shooting at the Murray Hill apartment complex. They said officers weren’t clearly identified and didn’t announce their presence or approach Zetina with their guns drawn.

There are many questions surrounding the shootout that may only be answered in the autopsy reports.

Michael DeRossett is organizing Tuesday’s rally to demand transparency while offering condolences to the Flick family. DeRossett lives in the apartment complex where the shooting happened and reinforced the reports given to the Independent. He’s also advocating for Thomas Villanueva, the innocent bystander who was shot in the crossfire. Villanueva has filed a lawsuit against the county.

CSPD stated that the officers were in “plainclothes,” wore police vests, and identified themselves as officers. Neither CSPD nor the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office commented on the allegations of improper procedures.

The 4th DA’s office received a report by the Deadly Force Investigations Team in mid-April and called it “voluminous.” There’s no expected release date.

Flick’s death was the third involving Colorado deputies within about six weeks around the beginning of the year. Douglas County Deputy Zackari Parrish and Adams County Deputy Heath Gumm were killed in the weeks before the shooting in Colorado Springs.

(KRDO is part of the Colorado Springs Press Association, which is looking into possible legal action if the Coroner’s Office’s request to seal the autopsy report is granted. Our fear is the ruling would set a dangerous precedent for concealing information in future cases.)

The rally will take place at 9 a.m. Tuesday outside of the El Paso County Courthouse at 270 S. Tejon Street.