An Aurora police officer remains hospitalized and a man is dead after a stabbing and police shooting near Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora Police Department officials said Thursday.

On Friday afternoon, the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office identified the suspect as 23-year-old Amare James Garlington and declared his cause and manner of death to be homicide from gunshot wound injuries.

The officer — a 20-year-plus veteran of the department who has served on the K-9 Unit since 2012 — was stabbed several times in the head during the altercation and, as of noon Friday, was awake and speaking with family and medical staff, according to a police update.

APD Chief Todd Chamberlain said the officer was in surgery in a media briefing posted to social media Thursday night, but is expected to survive the incident.

A K9 got stitches for his stab wound and is “doing well,” the police update Friday said. He stayed overnight at the veterinary clinic for monitoring and has since been released.

A police spokesperson said the department will not release the officer’s or K9’s identities today “out of respect for the officer’s privacy while he recovers.”

Police will provide further updates early next week, the spokesperson said.

The suspect, a 23-year-old man, had a history of suicidal ideations and had been previously placed in mental health holds, Chamberlain said. The initial call for service was placed by Aurora Mental Health around 3:15 p.m., and described the man as threatening to kill himself as well as others in a residence located in the 14000 block of East Stanford Circle.

“This is, without question, a tragedy,” Chamberlain said.

Officers responded to the initial call accompanied by the department’s Critical Incident Response Team, which is made up of medical clinicians who are also sworn officers, about 5-10 minutes after it was placed, Chamberlain said. Upon arrival, the team attempted to call the suspect, but had the wrong number.

After getting in touch with the suspect’s mother, who gave them his phone number, the team made phone contact with the man, Chamberlain said. During that conversation, he allegedly threatened to kill himself, others and any police officers who attempted to stop him.

As that conversation was taking place, four patrol officers and a K-9 officer set up a containment area around the residence, Chamberlain said. Police also requested and received additional logistics, including a taser and a less-lethal 40 mm launcher equipped with foam projectiles.

While the officers were setting up a containment area, the suspect’s call with the team came to an end, about 16 minutes after police first arrived, officials said. Team members tried several times to reach him again over the phone, but he did not pick up.

Officers then saw the suspect peering out the window, holding a long object, described by Chamberlain as a “butcher knife.” He was holding it up to his neck while making threats to others in the area, including officers.

One of the clinicians then attempted to contact the suspect verbally near the residence, but the man declined to communicate, Chamberlain said. Then, without any warning, he burst outside the residence’s front door and ran around the corner carrying the knife.

The containing officers gave chase and yelled at him to stop, and in that moment, the suspect abruptly turned around and charged at the K-9 officer at full speed with the knife pointed upward, Chamberlain said. He then began to repeatedly stab the officer in the head.

“The stabbing was so aggressive and so forceful that a portion of that knife actually broke off in the head of our K9 officer,” Chamberlain said, stressing how quickly the incident devolved.

Other officers used less-lethal means to try to subdue the suspect, but they had no effect. Then, the K-9 officer who was being attacked fired his weapon at the man, and they both collapsed on the ground, according to Chamberlain.

The officer’s K-9 was in the area when the stabbing began, but Chamberlain said he did not know whether the dog made contact with the suspect.

Officers immediately provided medical aid to both individuals before they each were taken to a hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead, Chamberlain said. The officer was in surgery at the time of the briefing’s recording.

“Every aspect of this is problematic, every aspect of this is troubling,” Chamberlain said. “I am thankful that our officer is not dead, lying back there on that sidewalk.”

The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting, Aurora officials said.

Garlington had been arrested at least three times in the past four years, court records show. He was due to appear in El Paso County Court on April 28 for a trial on domestic violence charges.

On Thursday, the Colorado Springs Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest, alleging he violated the protection order in that case, according to court records.

In 2022, Garlington was arrested in Douglas County on 16 total charges, 11 felonies, including six alleging he assaulted police officers, one of assault with a deadly weapon, two of obstructing a peace officer, and resisting arrest.

He ended up pleading guilty to a single count of assaulting a police officer on June 12, 2023, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail and 36 months of probation.

The department is continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at (720) 913-7867. Tipsters can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

Denver Gazette City Editor Dennis Huspeni contributed to this report.