Community Parole Officer killed in line of duty in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - A community parole officer died Thursday night as a result of injuries sustained in the line of duty.

During a press conference just before 9:30 p.m., officials confirmed one of the two parole officers injured in a hit-and-run earlier in the evening had died.

The Director of the Department of Corrections said the officer's identity wouldn't be revealed at this time because officials are still working to inform the family.

Below is a brief press conference by investigators in front of Memorial Central in Colorado Springs.

A procession for the fallen officer was held Thursday night.

Previous Reporting:

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation reported just before 7:45 p.m. Thursday that Justin Kula was in custody after allegedly hitting two parole officers with his SUV.

Kula was a parolee at the time of the crash for an array of convictions including assaulting a peace officer, extortion, felony menacing, harassment, and stalking.

The Colorado Springs Police Department had asked the public to be on the lookout for a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run with two pedestrians Thursday afternoon.

CSPD said the incident happened at the intersection of N Spruce St. and W Bijou St., just west of I-25.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 41-year-old Justin Andrew Kula. He is described as a white male standing 5'10", weighing 245 pounds, with brown eyes and balding hair.

According to CSPD, one pedestrian who was hit was a state parole officer. Another parole officer at the scene was also hit. Both were transported to a local hospital. One of the officers sustained serious bodily injuries. Their conditions are unknown at this time.

The vehicle that fled the scene was identified as a dark-colored, possibly black Lexus RX 330 with the Colorado license plate CDA 346.