Veteran Lakewood Police Officer Dies In Shooting
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) - For the first time in the Lakewood Police Department's 43 year history an officer was killed in the line of duty. Three suspects are in custody in the overnight shooting, and an intense investigation is under way.
Lakewood police spokesman Steve Davis said the shooting happened at about 2 a.m. at a home at 20th and Fenton, in a central area of the city near the border with Edgewater. He said the officer was outside the house when he was killed.
Police say they are investigating "one scenario" that the officer was shot accidentally by another officer but emphasized that is not confirmed.
"The investigation has taken quite a tragic turn in that the Lakewood Police Department has lost one of its officers," Davis said. "The words heartbreak and shock just aren't quite adequate when you lose one of your own."
VIDEO: Watch Complete 9 a.m. News Conference By Lakewood Police Spokesman Steve Davis
So far the name of the officer is not being released, but he was in his 30s and was with the department for almost seven years. Lakewood Police Chief Kevin Paletta met with the family of the officer in the morning.
Police are planning to release more details about the investigation in a news conference at 2 p.m. So far it's unclear how many rounds were fired, but it appears the officer was the only person who was shot.
"The suspects were taken into custody here on scene, and they are at our station now," Davis said.
Neighbors in the area told CBS4 they heard multiple gunshots at two different times during the night.
Resident Mark Sandoval told CBS4 he heard gunshots during the night earlier this week, too. He said when he came out of his home early Friday morning a police officer told him to get back inside.
"About roughly 2 a.m. I woke up and heard gunshots. There were probably six or seven fast ones in a row. And a couple of minutes later there were some more. Then at about 3 a.m. there were more," he said.
This is the second officer to die in the line of duty recently in the Denver area.
Officer Celena Hollis died in June when she tried to break up a fight at a jazz concert in Denver's City Park. Hollis, a single mother, had been with the Denver police force since 2005.
