Neighbors shed light on police shootout in Pueblo
Today the home of 31-year old Daniel Gurule is severely damaged with broken windows and bullet holes after last weekend’s shootout that took place there over the weekend. Gurule was killed as a result of a gunfight with police and SWAT Saturday around 3 a.m. A vigil was held by neighbors and family outside the home on the 1200 block of Bohmen Avenue on Sunday night. “I think if they would’ve waited him out, he would’ve come out eventually,” said Bruce Schmidt, Gurule’s next door neighbor. “This could’ve been handled peacefully.” Eight Pueblo Police officers are on administrative leave after the stand off ended in shots being fired. Police say Gurule stepped out of his home with a gun in his hand and made an effort to fire at police. Gurule was pulled over by police at Lake Street for a simple traffic violation hours earlier. The man fled police once they realized he had a warrant out for his arrest from other driving related charges. During the getaway, Gurule struck one police officer with his vehicle. The officer did not receive serious injuries. Gurule fled to his home in the Bessemer neighborhood. That’s where the standoff began, and police say the 31-year old was not being cooperative. Schmidt spoke with Gurule hours before his death. “He didn’t seem out of sorts or intoxicated or anything. He just seemed normal,” said Schmidt. Schmidt was inside his home when police were trying to get his next door neighbor to come out peacefully, then SWAT arrived. “When SWAT arrived instead of hearing, ‘Daniel come out we won’t hurt you.’ They said, ‘Come out with your hands up,'” said Schmidt. “That’s when they started breaking windows and throwing grenades.” Schmidt, whose home was struck by gunfire, says neighbors question the narrative that Gurule came outside with the intent to kill. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the shooting and are looking through video footage from both body and vehicle cameras. “When the video comes out and the investigation is complete, people that think they know what happened will actually know what happened,” said Sergeant Frank Ortega with the Pueblo Police Department. Gurule’s criminal record consists of several traffic violations and was found guilty of one burglary charge more than ten years ago. In a Facebook live video Sunday night at the vigil, Gurule’s father says he believes his son was unjustly killed, and that the truth will come out. Updates in the investigations are expected to be released in the coming days.
