Holly MatkinLakewood, CO – Four people were killed and a Lakewood police officer and two others were wounded during a multijurisdictional “killing spree” Monday evening, according to Denver police.
The series of attacks began near Broadway and First Avenue in central Denver shortly after 5 p.m. on Dec. 27, when the unnamed gunman opened fire on three people, killing two women and wounding a third male victim, KMGH reported.
A short while later, police received a report of another shooting in the area of Williams Street and 12th Avenue, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said during a press conference with the Lakewood Police Department (LPD) Monday night.
One man was killed during that attack, according to Chief Pazen.
A third shooting took place at Cherokee Street and West 6th Avenue shortly thereafter, but no one was injured, KMGH reported.
Police spotted a vehicle associated with all three shootings as they were searching near Zuni Street and 8th Avenue, Chief Pazen said.
The suspect refused to stop, leading to a vehicle pursuit and a shootout with police, KMGH reported.
No officers were struck by gunfire, but the suspect was able to disable the patrol car that was chasing him, according to the chief.
The shooter then fled into Lakewood.
The LPD received a report of a shooting in the 1500-block of Kipling Street shortly before 6 p.m. and arrived to find a victim dead at the scene, LPD Public Information Officer John Romero told reporters.
SWAT still actively searching parts of Belmar. People still locked down in businesses. @CBS4Jeff & I with more – @CBSDenver 10pm. pic.twitter.com/BjMBP9BFNI
— Mark Neitro (@CBS4Mark) December 28, 2021
Investigators were able to obtain a description of the gunman’s vehicle and located it in the Belmar shopping area a short while later, KMGH reported.
The suspect allegedly opened fire on officers when they tried to approach him, leading to another exchange of gunfire, Officer Romero said.
He then ran into the shopping area and threatened others with the gun before entering the Hyatt Place hotel, according to police.
Once inside, he allegedly shot the hotel clerk and took off on foot yet again, Officer Romero said.
The condition of the wounded clerk has not been released, KMGH reported.
There is a body in the intersection of Alaska and Vance. #9News pic.twitter.com/8jvv4OTa16
— Nelson Garcia (@9Storytellers) December 28, 2021
An LPD officer intercepted the fleeing suspect outside the hotel and was shot, leading other officers to return fire, according to Officer Romero.
The alleged gunman was killed during the exchange, he confirmed.
The wounded LPD officer was rushed to a local hospital, where the officer was taken into emergency surgery, KMGH reported.
Christmas music playing on empty streets at Belmar in Lakewood as an officer yells at me to leave because of an active shooter. @CBSDenver pic.twitter.com/uUAKmzLBG5
— Mark Neitro (@CBS4Mark) December 28, 2021
A witness told KDVR they saw the gunman shoot a female LPD officer.
“We seen (sic) the lady officer just yelled: ‘put your gun down. Put your gun away!’ And we just seen the suspect pull his gun out and, literally, shoot her, in front of us and she was on the floor, she was on the ground,” the witness recounted. “He turned and he kept shooting, almost shooting toward us, but my friend, backed up, just in time or we would have been shot, as well.”
Another witness said the suspect was a tall male with blond hair, and that he was wearing a trench coat, KDVR reported.
“She (the officer) yelled, ‘put your gun down’ and he turned around and, like, pulled up the gun and shot her right in front of us, multiple times,” the witness told the news outlet.
The officer’s condition is unknown.
—LAKEWOOD SHOOTING—
Officers were involved in a shooting in Lakewood this evening. There are multiple scenes scattered throughout the city associated with the investigation.
One of those scenes is here at a strip mall near Colfax/Kipling.
People on scene are clearly shaken up pic.twitter.com/ZZpGs8EyZj
— Dillon Thomas (@DillonMThomas) December 28, 2021
“It’s a tough day for the Lakewood police family, obviously, when this happens to one of our own,” Officer Romero told reporters, according to KMGH. “We just ask everybody in our community for their thoughts and prayers for that agent and their family.”
Chief Pazen said the shooting spree is not commonplace in the Lakewood area, especially during the holiday season.
“We cannot lose sight of the victims in this – the people that are still fighting for their lives – including a Lakewood agent,” he added.
Details regarding what precipitated the series of deadly attacks have not been released, KMGH reported.
“As far what started (this), that is part of the investigation,” Chief Pazen said, according to USA Today. “We need to really dig in and find out what the motivation behind this was.”
OH HELL! WHAT ELSE
4 people were killed & 3 were injured, including a police officer, in what authorities described as a "killing spree" in the Denver metro area. The suspect, not identified, was killed by officers in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, a spokesman told reporters. pic.twitter.com/IWPUikzCXd— fazal kamal (@kamal_fazal) December 28, 2021
The chief said police were investigating four separate shooting locations Monday night, WSVN reported.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is handling the ongoing investigation into the gunman’s death, KDVR reported.
“We still have a lot of details that we’re sorting out at this point,” Officer Romero said, according to USA Today.
He noted the investigation has “a lot of moving parts” and is “still very fresh.”
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