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One
man was in custody and two suspects were on the run, an Adams
County Sheriff's office spokesperson said at a late night news
conference on Wednesday. Residents were told to stay indoors.
"It is with incredible sadness that we report that our deputy
was transported and pronounced dead at the hospital," Sheriff's
Office spokesperson Amanda Overton said.
This is the second law enforcement officer to die near Denver in
recent weeks. A Douglas County Sheriff's deputy was killed on
Dec. 31 in a standoff in a Denver suburb where four other
deputies and two civilians were also shot.
The latest shooting happened shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday
local time near the city of Thornton, about 10 miles north of
Denver.
The deputy was responding to a call of assault in progress and
was shot once, officials said.
Local residents were ordered to stay indoors and keep away from
doors and windows as SWAT officers hunted through the area.
"Those of you in that area please seek shelter and stay away
from doors and windows,' the Adam's County sheriff's office said
on its Twitter page.
Only a vague description of the two male suspects was available.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said in a statement released
late Wednesday: "We are deeply saddened to learn that the deputy
has died."
Some 128 law enforcement officers died in the United States in
2017, according to the nonprofit National Law Enforcement
Officers Memorial Fund.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Addiional reporting by
Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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