WESTMINSTER, Colo. — A trooper with Colorado State Patrol (CSP), who was completing reports in a protected median of a highway in Westminster, "looked at the face of evil" Saturday when a driver opened fire at him, striking his arm, a CSP colonel said. But "we came out on top today," he added.
CSP Col. Matthew Packard identified the injured trooper as Ty Simcox, a 16-year veteran of CSP. He has been released from the hospital.
All lanes of US 36 in Westminster along a 2.5-mile stretch are closed for the investigation.
Around 1:18 p.m., a CSP trooper was in his marked patrol vehicle in the center median of Highway 36 eastbound, west of Federal Boulevard, CSP said in a press release Saturday afternoon.
A driver went by and shot several rounds at the trooper, CSP said, and one round hit him. The driver then pulled over on the inside shoulder, left the car and began to fire at the windshield of the CSP patrol vehicle.
The trooper exited his car and fired at the suspect, CSP said. That person died at the scene.
The trooper was transported to a nearby hospital for injuries that were not-life threatening.
US 36 closed just before 2 p.m. between Lowell Boulevard and Federal Boulevard (US 287) due to what the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) initially called "police activity." The Westminster Police Department announced the same closure a few minutes later, initially citing an "ongoing incident." Drivers were asked to find an alternate route around this section of US 36.
"It was seconds, but it felt like minutes," Rebecca Quintana, a witness, told Denver7. "It was like slow motion, but then it felt like it happened so fast."
A press conference is expected at 5 p.m., where CSP Col. Matthew Packard will provide more information.
Denver7 has a crew at the scene working to learn more.
This is a developing story. Stay with Denver7 for updates.
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