DA’s office rules officer was justified in shooting, killing suspect in downtown Colorado Springs

This article includes the full released video and commentary from the Colorado Springs Police Department. The video, which shows the shooting, may be disturbing to viewers.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office has ruled that an officer's use of deadly force in a shooting that killed a suspect in downtown Colorado Springs in March 2025 was justified.

The Colorado Springs Police Department reports that at around 2:20 p.m. on March 31, someone called 911 to report that a man was breaking into cars and stealing items. The caller told police he had confronted the suspect, and in response, the suspect had pointed a gun at him.

The incident was reported downtown, in a parking lot near 21 South Nevada Avenue.

Officers arrived on scene around 10 minutes later and quickly located the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Nathaniel Altman, rummaging through a white Toyota RAV4. Police noted that multiple civilians were also in and around the parking lot at the time.

Video shows police commanding Altman out of the car and ordering him to put his hands up, but the suspect refused. The video also shows verbal warnings from police that if Altman did not comply, he would be shot.

According to the DA's report, CSPD officer Carlos Pittman arrived on the scene at 2:32 p.m. and was tasked with providing "long-range, lethal cover" for his fellow law enforcement officers. Pittman moved around the scene to access a good angle on the suspect that wouldn't put innocent bystanders in danger.

While he did that, the DA's office said officers closer to Altman were able to visually confirm he was in possession of a firearm, and continued to order him to put his hands up.

Video captures Altman continuing to ignore these commands before turning and running away from officers and toward Pikes Peak Avenue, with the gun in his hand. Police say he was running in the direction of an occupied car and other bystanders who had gathered in the area.

At that time, an officer began yelling, “He’s got a gun! He’s got a gun!”

Believing that Altman posed an immediate threat to the individual in the parked car as well as civilians nearby, Officer Pittman fired his weapon three times, striking the suspect twice, the DA's office reports.

Despite life-saving efforts, Altman died at the scene.

Officers recovered a firearm from Altman, which they say was loaded with one round in the chamber and an additional five rounds in the magazine.

The DA's office said a toxicology report on Altman revealed he also had illegal narcotics in his system at the time of his death.

Shortly after the incident, KRDO13 released a viewer video of the shooting. The shooting happened in the heart of downtown, in the middle of the afternoon, with multiple witnesses, and KRDO13 felt it was our responsibility to show it.

PRIOR REPORTING: New video shows deadly police shooting in downtown Colorado Springs

The Colorado Springs Police Department asked us not to show the video until the investigation plays out, saying that it was a piece of evidence. However, CSPD did not provide more specific reasons on why they'd like the video not to be released beyond the fact that it was an ongoing investigation.

We aired the viewer video on April 2, which can be found in the link above.

Later video released by the agency showed multiple angles of the deadly shooting, including those from body-worn cameras and a witness.

DA's office investigation into the shooting

Per protocol following an officer-involved shooting, the 4th Judicial District Attorney's office conducted an interview with Pittman, who has been employed by the department since 2021. He stressed that he believed Altman was an imminent danger to not only other officers but also nearby witnesses at the time.

“I 100 percent believe he was going to engage the civilians or the officers, and was going to cause more of a mass casualty incident," Pittman said. "The life risk was too high. I was more concerned about the civilian populace being shot, or a hostage situation, or one of us getting shot at that point."

On Jan. 15, the DA's office ruled that Pittman had an objectively reasonable belief that Altman posed a serious threat to numerous bystanders and was justified in his use of deadly force.

"Given the totality of the circumstances, Officer Pittman had an objectively reasonable belief that
a lesser degree of force would be inadequate to address the threat posed by the suspect. Officer
Pittman knew Mr. Altman had previously pointed a gun directly at someone who confronted him
about his criminal activities in the parking lot, and therefore was willing and able to utilize the
firearm in his possession in furtherance of his objectives," the DA's office report reads in part.

Due to the ruling, no charges will be filed for the shooting, the DA's office said.

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