Family and friends remember man killed in officer-involved shooting in Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Family and friends are revealing new details on the victim of a deadly officer-involved shooting in Colorado Springs over the weekend.
On Saturday, Colorado Springs Police were called out to the 4200 block of Deerfield Hills Road around 10:30 p.m for a report of a suicidal male armed with a firearm.
The suspect was 40-year-old Michael Hurst. His parents say that he was having a mental health emergency that night. Hurst's mother says she had to wrestle with her son to get a gun out of his hands, but was unsuccessful.
Colorado Springs police say they repeatedly gave verbal commands for Hurst to put the gun down, and when he did not comply, at least one officer fired at least one shot which struck Hurst, who later died at the hospital.
"We heard the shots not even knowing what it was. It was just a loud, boom boom boom." explained one neighbor, who lived just two houses away from the incident.
Hursts mother says her son had been drinking that night, and was acting in a way she had never seen before. Loved ones say Hurst has struggled with substance use and drinking for much of his adult life.
"There's always that little bit of darkness in there, and he just let it absorb him." explained Patrick Keach, one of Michael's close friends.
Keach and others say that without substances, Hurst was an uplifting spirit with a sense of humor and a positive attitude, despite being left in a wheelchair due to paralysis in his lower body.
Hurst's father, also named Michael, says he is confident that his son had no intention of hurting anyone that night, except maybe himself.
He acknowledges the tough position that his son put police in, but with having lost another son to suicide five years ago, he wishes Saturday night's situation could have ended differently.
"To me, there could have been a different way to alleviate that situation." said father Michael Hurst.
Now, those who loved Michael, just have to grapple with the fact he is gone.
"He'll mean the world for us forever, and he blessed us with a lot of good memories and a lot of good years." said Keach.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPCSO) is responsible for investigating the shooting, as any time there is an officer-involved shooting within a department, a separate agency must complete a thorough, in-depth look at the incident about whether the officer's actions were justified.
As a result, EPSCO told KRDO13 they cannot comment on the case while it's under investigation, but said they will have their full report out within the next 21 days.
Colorado Springs Police say they will also release a Significant Event Briefing about the shooting within 21 days, which will make officer-worn body camera footage available for viewing, and give insight into the many questions the community may have.
A fundraiser to help the Hursts bury their son, can be found by clicking here.
