Officer-involved shooting of Fort Carson soldier ruled justified
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The 4th Judicial District Attorney says an officer-involved shooting from April, in which a Fort Carson soldier was killed, has been ruled justified.
District Attorney Dan May announced Thursday that no officers will face charges in the shooting of 28-year-old Sgt. Virgill Thorpe.
On April 19, the Colorado Springs Police Department responded to a domestic violence incident on the 3200 block of Oak Creek Drive East. The wife of Thorpe reported the incident, saying she had been physically assaulted by her husband. She also said that Mr. Thorpe was armed with a "cocked" assault rifle and claimed he would shoot police officers if they came to the house. CSPD says there were four more of Mr. Thorpe's family members and friends in the home in addition to the couple.
When officers arrived, they made contact with Mr. Thorpe and one of his friends at the door. Police say Mr. Thorpe was extremely agitated and said: "Let's go to war."
Mr. Thorpe went back into the home despite officers trying to calm him down, but police were able to pull his friend to safety. Officers located the wife, stepdaughters and a family friend in the basement of the home near an egress window.
Police pulled out the wife and one of the stepdaughters out the window and to safety. But when authorities tried to retrieve the second stepdaughter, they say Mr. Thorpe approached the window with an AR-15, raising his rifle and pointing it at officers.
The stepdaughter jumped out of the way before four officers opened fire. The District Attorney says the four officers began shooting because they feared for the safety of the family members and their fellow officers.
Mr. Thorpe walked back into the basement before collapsing, according to the district attorney's office. Police then forced their way into the home and located Mr. Thorpe and the rifle. They immediately called for an ambulance while providing medical aid. Paramedics transported him to the hospital where he died from his injuries.
During the shooting, one of the officers and one of the stepdaughters received minor injuries from flying glass and debris. She was treated at a hospital and released.
The DA says all officers on the scene had activated their body-worn cameras. The footage and the 911 call were used during the use of deadly force investigation. Furthermore, statements from the family members and friends corroborated the physical evidence, according to the district attorney.
One of the stepdaughters told police that Mr. Thorpe fired his AR-15 first before CSPD officers began shooting. Ballistics test results confirmed the stepdaughter's claim, according to investigators.
"The facts and evidence from this investigation indicate Corporal Joseph Somosky and Officers Eddie Nassar, Kristopher Czajkowski, and Charles Warren held a reasonable belief that Virgill Thorpe put the officers and his own family members in imminent danger of being killed or receiving serious bodily injury," the district attorney's office said in a statement.
"Therefore, Corporal Joseph Somosky and Officers Eddie Nassar, Kristopher Czajkowski, and Charles Warren were justified in using deadly force. No charges will be filed."
