Watch CBS News

Few Clues After Good Samaritan Shot Point Blank In Garfield County

GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - There's a search for a shooter in Garfield County in western Colorado.

Deputies say someone shot a good Samaritan who stopped to help after seeing a car pulled over on the side of the road. It happened on State Highway 13 near Rifle and finding the shooter will be difficult.

Investigators say the car was pulled over along a stretch Highway 13 north of Rifle late at night. The victim pulled over to offer assistance, and that's when he was shot.

"Right now it's definitely kind of a 'who done it,'" investigator Josh Craine with the Garfield County Sheriff's Office said. "The car that he stopped to check on was a little red car, and that's about the extent of it; unfortunately, our victim, due to the extent of his injuries, we haven't been able to talk to him."

GOOD SAMARITAN SHOT 6MAP.transfer

Despite being shot at point blank range, investigators say the victim, who they are not identifying, remarkably got back in his own car and called 911. He drove several miles before meeting up with deputies and EMTs in a bowling alley parking lot in Rifle.

"We do believe this is an isolated incident right now. We don't have anything else to suggest it's a lunatic running around, some kind of serial shooting. We don't have anything to point to that," Craine said.

Investigators did not want to go into details on why they believe it's an isolated incident, but they also aren't ruling out anything.

"While our victim sounds like he was trying to do the right thing, we're definitely looking at every possibility, every angle. We would be remiss not to," Craine said.

The victim but he remains in a Grand Junction area hospital fighting for his life.

Additional Information From The Garfield County Sheriff's Office

The sheriff's office asks that anyone with information that might be helpful to their investigation into who is responsible for the crime call their office at (970) 945-0453.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.