HollyMatkinThorton, CO – An Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputy was fatally shot on Wednesday night while responding to a call of an assault in progress.
Deputy Heath Gumm, 32, had been with ACSO since 2013, KDVR reported.
“The entire Sheriff’s Office is praying for the wife and family of our fallen deputy,” the ACSO said in a press release. “Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as this is a very difficult time for everyone.”
Deputies received a report of the assault at 6:58 p.m., Westword reported.
Sources told KDVR that a group of men were assaulting a woman.
Deputies quickly located a man who matched a description of one of the suspects, but he fled from deputies before he could be apprehended, Westword reported.
The suspect led deputies on a foot pursuit that ended behind a residence.
As deputies closed in on him, the man opened fire with a handgun, hitting Deputy Gumm in the chest.
He was immediately transported for emergency medical care, but was pronounced dead at a medical center in Denver.
The gunman fled again, but was ultimately apprehended by deputies in a backyard shed. His name has not been released.
A manhunt continues for two additional suspects, the ACSO said.
According to Westword, local television stations broke their regularly scheduled programs in order to cover the scene of Deputy Gumm’s murder.
At 12:35 a.m. on Thursday, a processional of hundreds of vehicles escorted the fallen deputy back to Adams County from the medical center in Denver, KMGH reported.
The midnight processional traveled under an American flag draped between two firetrucks, while people lined the streets to honor Deputy Gumm.
“I’m sad that it had to come to this,” one man in attendance told KMGH. “These men and women are out there protecting and trying to make a difference in our communities…”
“I met officer Gumm,” Jeff Williams told KDVR in an email. “He patrolled our neighborhood and my friends and I watched the parking lot. He was kind as hell and shook our hands and thanked us for what we did. What he did is far greater than anything I can put into words. I’m so sorry, and thank you to his family.”
Deputy Gumm’s murder occurred less than one month after Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Zackari Parrish was shot and killed during an ambush in Highlands Ranch. Four other officers were also shot and injured.
The Colorado Police Officers Foundation has established an account to assist the family of Deputy Gumm, and donations can be made directly through their site.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deputy Heath Gumm, both blood and blue. Godspeed, we will take the watch from here. Thank you for your service.
Deputy Heath Gumm, your life mattered.