DOUGLAS COUNTY – We’re learning more details about an early morning chase that led to an officer-involved shooting on Dry Creek under I-25 on Tuesday morning.
The man shot and wounded by officers has been identified as 20-year-old Pierce Langewisch. The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has identified 19-year-old Nicholas Charles Ryan of Aurora was killed in the exchange of gunfire.
Douglas County deputies first noticed the suspect vehicle near C-470 and South Broadway and said it was driving recklessly. Sheriff Tony Spurlock says after the deputies ran a check on the license plate, they learned the vehicle was stolen and tried to pull the driver over.
That effort led to a chase down the highway where the suspect’s car exited at Yosemite Street and around the Park Meadows Mall, eventually ending up on Dry Creek Rd. During the chase, shots were fired at the deputies.
A pit maneuver was used to stop the stolen vehicle under I-25 and following an exchange of gunfire with five deputies, one suspect was killed, a second suspect was wounded and a third was taken into custody, according to Spurlock. That person has since been identified as 20-year-old Peirce Langewisch, who is being held in the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Detention Facility on an outstanding warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.
Spurlock couldn’t say how many shots were fired by deputies and said they have not yet been interviewed by investigators. At least one gun was recovered from the suspect vehicle.
The Douglas County coroner will identify the suspect who was killed in the shooting and the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is working to obtain a warrant for the suspect who remains in the hospital.
Dry Creek Rd. under I-25 was finally reopened late in the day on Tuesday.
DCSO Officer Involved Shooting Press Conference #drycreekois https://t.co/7OvpdRPvCC
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) November 27, 2018
