BREAKING: Sheriff’s K9 Fatally Shot By Suspect Near Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO – A Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) K9 was fatally shot by a fleeing suspect early Monday morning in an incident that began on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines.

Officials said that Golden Police Department (GPD) officers responded to assist the Colorado School of Mines campus police at about 12:15 a.m. on Feb. 13 near 19th Street and Elm Street in Golden, KUSA reported.

Police said the officers were responding to a parked vehicle with the driver unresponsive and slumped over the steering wheel.

Officer tried to wake up the driver and when he eventually became alert, he tried to drive slowly away and swerved into oncoming traffic, KUSA reported.

GPD said the suspect stopped a short time later at 19th Street and Tangent flopped back over the steering wheel.

So, authorities said the officers woke him up again, KUSA reported.

That was when the driver began ramming the officers’ patrol vehicles with his car in an attempt to get away, according to police.

Officers ultimately broke the driver’s window and put the vehicle in park, KUSA reported.

But when officer tried to take the driver into custody, he escaped and fled on foot, running eastbound on 19th Street.

Police said the suspect turned and pointed a handgun at officers as he fled into a nearby wooded area, KUSA reported.

A shelter-in-place order was issued for the Colorado School of Mines campus and officers set up a perimeter and searched for the suspect, according to authorities

Golden police said in their press release that the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) brought over a K9 unit to assist officers in searching for the suspect, KUSA reported.

Police said the K9 was released and given the command by his deputy handler to apprehend the suspect.

That was when the suspect opened fire on law enforcement officers and fatally shot the K9 hero, KUSA reported.

A sheriff’s deputy returned fire and the JCSO Regional SWAT Team responded to the scene to search for the suspect, according to the press release.

Golden police said the suspect came out of hiding and surrendered to authorities at about 5:54 a.m. on Monday morning, KUSA reported.

The deputy-involved shooting is being investigated by the Colorado School of Mine’s Police Department and the First Judicial District Attorney’s Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT).

JCSO has not yet released the name of its fallen hero.

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