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Parole officer identified in fatal Colorado hit-and-run

Authorities have identified the fallen parole officer in Thursday’s hit-and-run crash near downtown Colorado Springs.

Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval died at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central after sustaining injuries from being hit by the suspect vehicle. Guerin Sandoval was one of two female parole officers struck in the incident. Out of a want for privacy, police did not identify the second victim, who was treated for her injuries and released Thursday night.

“Christine was a mother, she was a daughter, she was a wife, she was a protector. Christine took an oath, and that oath was to protect the citizens in the state of Colorado,” Executive Director of Colorado Department of Corrections Andre Stancil said at a press conference Friday at the Police Operations Center. “She lost her life doing just that.”

Parole officer dies after being struck by vehicle in Colorado Springs; parolee arrested

Guerin Sandoval was one of three parole officers who attempted to contact 41-year-old suspect Justin Andrew Kula, “who was known to them,” and check on his welfare while parked in his vehicle Thursday. He struck two of the officers in an attempt to flee around 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of West Bijou and North Spruce streets, according to police.

Colorado Springs Police Department officers and other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies immediately began a wide-scale search for Kula, who is now being charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and third-degree assault on a peace officer.

The public received an alert at 6:15 p.m. asking them to be on the lookout for 41-year-old suspect Justin Andrew Kula and his vehicle, described as a charcoal-colored Lexus RX 330. Multiple community members contacted the police as a result of the alert with details of the vehicle’s location.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced just before 7:40 p.m. Thursday that Kula was apprehended and the suspect vehicle had been located. The arrest followed a shelter in place order in the 400n block of Glen View Court, according to police.

“I want to thank our community members who responded so quickly to our state-wide blue alert regarding the suspect. Please know that your calls truly did make a difference, and your support continues to matter to our officers,” said CSPD Chief of Police Adrian Vasquez.

Kula’s rap sheet includes assault, stalking, domestic violence, theft and fugitive from justice charges dating back to 2017, online court records show. In 2020 he was convicted of extortion, assaulting a peace officer, disorderly conduct across multiple incidents and received three to five years for each incident.

He received roughly one year in jail for a probation violation conviction in 2020.

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Authorities are looking at “all possible charges, potentially even including murder or homicide,” according to Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen.

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