DENVER – A National Park Service ranger was shot in their vest and shot a suspect just outside the Fall River Entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park Wednesday morning, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
Fall River Road was closed from the park entrance to Deer Ridge Junction. The shooting happened around 10:15 a.m., the park service said. The road reopened later that evening.
A spokesperson for the park said the suspect who was shot and another person in a car had been pursued by police earlier Wednesday morning outside of the park.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Josh Lewis said a park ranger made a traffic stop just before the shooting, though it was unclear Wednesday afternoon what prompted the shooting. A RMNP spokesperson said the ranger was shot in the vest and was not seriously injured.
The ranger also fired at the suspects, injuring one of them. The ranger and the other person were both taken to an area hospital, and the second person in the vehicle was not injured and taken into custody.
Aerial video from the scene showed a park ranger SUV in the middle of Fall River Road and a red sedan with front-end damage on the side of the road, where police were investigating.
A park spokesperson said the FBI would lead the investigation into the shooting.
"The FBI is investigating a shooting incident within the Rocky Mountain National Park involving a National Park Service Ranger. All suspects are in custody. There is no current threat to the public. Please remain out of the area to allow law enforcement to conduct their work," the FBI's Denver office said in a tweet.
This is a developing news story and will be updated. Denver7 has a crew near the park to investigate what happened.
