Armed man killed during confrontation with Glenwood Springs police in shopping center parking lot

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A man was killed in Glenwood Springs after pulling a gun on police in a shopping center parking lot.

The Glenwood Springs Police Department says the shooting happened in broad daylight Monday afternoon at the Glenwood Meadows Shopping Center.

The incident started when police in the area saw a known suspect with a warrant for firearm charges. When the officers approached him, the man reportedly whipped out a gun.

“The individual obviously recognized that they were police officers and immediately produced a firearm,” Glenwood Springs Police Chief Joseph Deras said in a news conference Monday.

Police say the officers retreated and shot at the suspect, who ran towards his car. As the suspect hid behind the vehicle, the officers moved into another position and shot at him again.

The police department says at that time, the officers didn’t know “if the suspect was wounded, attempting to rearm himself, clear a malfunction or exchange magazines with other ammunition for his firearm” while sheltering behind his car.

“[The suspect had a] high-capacity firearm with several rounds in the gun itself and it’s my understanding that the suspect had access to additional ammunition,” Deras said.

The officers remained in position until backup arrived. At that point, they went to the vehicle and found the man dead.

Shoppers told sister station CBS Denver that with it being Labor Day, the shopping center was bustling during the armed confrontation.

“I pulled everyone from our patio, got them inside, locked our back doors, locked our front doors,” said Gentiana Sundeen, co-owner of Zhen Asian Bistro. “Lots of families with kids today, being a holiday, everybody off of school, probably thought ‘strange,’ but I tried to keep everybody calm.”

No officers or bystanders were injured.

Copyright 2024 KKTV. All rights reserved.