Summit County Sheriff’s Office investigating fatal shooting involving deputy

One person was killed in a shooting involving law enforcement officers in Summit County Sunday morning, officials said.

During the police activity, a shelter-in-place was issued for Summit Cove in Keystone, Colorado, Denver Gazette media partner KUSA reported.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies responded to reports of a man walking through a neighborhood, waving a firearm and “banging on residents’ doors,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“The individual failed repeatedly to comply with verbal commands given to him,” according to the news release.

The man allegedly pointed a handgun at a deputy and an officer, who both fired their weapons in response, the sheriff’s office said. Law enforcement began rendering medical aid to the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The sheriff’s office did not identify the man who died or the officers who fired their guns. Both the deputy and the police officer were placed on paid administrative leave. Neither was injured in the incident.

“We recognize that incidents like this have a significant impact on our community, and we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the individual who lost their life. We understand the pain and grief that follows such a tragic event, and we are committed to providing support and resources to those affected during this difficult time,” Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said in the news release.

The sheriff’s office did not respond to interview requests.

The sheriff’s office initially reported that it received six calls between 11:50 p.m., Saturday and 7:30 a.m., Sunday reporting a man acting erratically in the Summit Cove neighborhood. A call came in Sunday morning for a man with a handgun.

A Summit County Sheriff’s deputy and a Dillon Police officer responded, and the suspect was shot and killed.

The sheriff’s office said the suspect was a man who had been contacted several times in the past several weeks by the Summit County SMART team, a mental health response team that tries to deescalate situations before someone gets hurt, but the suspect refused help each time he was contacted.

“Our Systemwide Mental Assessment Response Team, our SMART team as we refer to [them], responded to numerous calls with this individual over the last 24 hours and has actually been working with this individual for the last three weeks,” FitzSimons said. “During all of the interactions with this individual, at no time did the person present a danger to himself or others and refused voluntary services, and so was let go to family during these contacts.”

A shelter-in-place was issued to Summit County around 8 a.m., Sunday. Around 8:45 a.m., an all-clear message was sent out to residents. According to a Facebook post from the Summit County government, the all-county message for the shelter-in-place was sent in error.

The shelter-in-place was lifted around 8:50 a.m., but residents were asked to avoid the area.

Anyone with more information or who witnessed the incident can contact Summit County Sheriff’s Office Detective Sergeant Mark Gafari at 970-423-8960.

This is a developing story and will update once more information becomes available.


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