THORNTON, Colo. — Two Thornton police officers who were injured by gunfire during a standoff with a suspect in a residential area Wednesday morning were expected to recover, the interim chief of the police department said during a news conference late Wednesday afternoon.
The suspect in the standoff, which happened at a home located on the 1600 block of Columbine St. near York St. and 128th Ave., was pronounced dead. The suspect's identity as well as the motive for the standoff remain unknown at this time.
Officers responded to the scene just before 9 a.m. and police announced about a half-hour later that a pair of officers had been "struck by gunfire." Thornton police's interim chief Greg Reeves said in a media briefing just before 11 a.m. that they could have been hit by either shrapnel or gunfire.
There was "no longer a threat" in the area as of 10:37 a.m., according to police. All emergency alerts stemming from what had been a very active scene for the better part of two hours were lifted.
There is no longer a threat in the area. All emergency alerts have been lifted. pic.twitter.com/Ykzz1NAwi1
— Thornton Police Dept (@ThorntonPolice) October 9, 2024
Reeves said that the injured officers were being treated at a nearby hospital.
During a news conference later in the afternoon, Greeves said one of the injured officers was treated and released after being struck with both glass and shrapnel. The other officer was still being treated for serious injuries after being shot close to the shoulder, but was expected to make a recovery.
"Today, we were far too close to losing one of our own officers, and I’m thankful that these officers who were injured are now safe and expected to recover," Greeves said during the late Wednesday afternoon briefing.
Information about the officers was not immediately released, with Greeves only saying both officers are assigned to a patrol division that operates out of the department's Fossil Ridge substation.
More than two dozen law enforcement vehicles, including SWAT and other tactical vehicles, lined neighboring streets during the response. A drone assisted in the search of the home for a suspect, police said.
A medical helicopter arrived on scene just before 10 a.m. as a precaution, police said.
Greeves asked that anyone with information about the shooting give them a call at (720) 977-5069.
"I didn't think it was real life"
Denver7 spoke with neighbors in the area who said the neighborhood where the standoff occurred is usually quiet and peaceful. Many said they were shocked to hear about the shooting happening so close to their homes.
"It was scary, it was crazy. I didn’t think it was real life," said neighbor Katie Lewis.
Lewis said she was returning home after dropping her daughter off at school when she saw all the chaos.
Missy Kramer said she was at work when some of her neighbors began alerting her that there was something going on. Kramer told Denver7 she initially believed it was a fire and rushed home right away to make sure her dog was OK.
Kramer said it felt surreal hearing that there had been a shooting involving officers.
"It’s a quiet neighborhood, its unbelievable," she said. "I just couldn’t believe it was happening in my neighborhood, I couldn’t ."
Amoz Elizando said he received a shelter-in-place notification and was nearby when he heard some of the gunfire erupt.
"What’s going through my mind right now is, 'this is farmland, it’s supposed to be farmland,' nice little area good homes, not so much crime and now something like this happens, hearing about it is kind of concerning, being a resident of Thornton and hearing officers were hurt in the line of duty is also very sad," said Elizando.
In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis said he was relieved to hear the two officers were recovering, as he vowed to continue protecting Coloradans from gun violence.
"Gun violence has no place in Colorado, and we will continue to protect Coloradans, law enforcement officers and the communities they serve,” he said.
Denver7's Kristian Lopez contributed to this report.
