Gas station employee killed by police in Parker after brandishing gun

PARKER, Colo. (KRDO) – A 32-year-old gas station employee was shot and killed by officers in Parker who were responding to reports of gunshots late Monday night, the Parker Police Department (PPD) said.

Police say officers were sent to the area of East Mainstreet and Jordan Road at around 10:20 p.m. on Oct. 20, after multiple residents called 911 to report hearing shots fired.

When officers arrived on the scene less than three minutes later, they found shell casings and live ammunition in the parking lot of the nearby T Square gas station, located at 17050 E. Mainstreet.

Officers spoke with an employee inside the gas station, who initially told police that he was a witness to the shots being fired, police said. But as they continued speaking with him, the employee became "very agitated" with the officers and began acting erratically, lifting his sweatshirt multiple times to show a gun tucked inside his waistband, PPD said.

Police said officers made numerous attempts to de-escalate the situation, but the suspect only grew more agitated, eventually grabbing the gun from his waistband and pointing it at the officers.

In response, officers fired their weapons, hitting the man. At this time, the department has not made it clear how many officers fired at the suspect, or how many shots struck him.

PPD said officers began life-saving measures before EMS arrived and took the man to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Per department policy, all six officers involved in the shooting are currently on administrative leave. None were injured in the incident, PPD confirmed. According to the department, this was the town's first officer-involved shooting since 2017.

The 23rd Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is now investigating the shooting.

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