Neighbors Rushed To Help After Man Allegedly Shot Mother
DENVER (CBS4) – A woman is recovering in the hospital after she was allegedly shot by her own son. Police said the suspect also shot an officer.
Elijah Ruff, 25, was in the Denver jail under investigation of attempted murder, aggravated assault and first degree assault.
Shots rang out at a home on West 10th Avenue and Xavier Street at approximately 3:30 a.m. Sunday. A neighbor's security camera caught the gunfire and the aftermath on camera. After the gunfire, the video shows the victim approaching police and the officers begin to help.
"My understanding is that the female was shot in the lower back or upper legs," said Doug Schepman, a spokesperson with the Denver Police Department.
Bryce Carter lives two doors down from the where the shooting occurred and knows the shooting victim and the suspect. He and other neighbors told CBS4 the violence hits too close to home.
Carter and his wife rushed outside to see if they, too, could help. Officers quickly sent them back in, right before more gunfire shot off. The two hit the floor when the second round went off from inside the victim's home.
One officer was struck by a bullet in the leg.
Police fired back but the rounds did not hit the suspect.
A SWAT team used flash bangs to take the suspect into custody.
The woman hurt was expected to survive.
"Fortunately, no one died here," Carter said. "But I know for a lot of families, that's not the case."
Carter has his own story of survival.
"This is the fourth time in my life that I've been in a lockdown situation," he said.
Carter made it through the shooting at Virginia Tech, and was also inside the Alliance Center office building in Denver when shots rang out in June 2016.
"There is just a sadness," he said. "There's the instinctual fear that comes from (gunfire). I've dealt with PTSD from the aftermath. ... I believe gun violence is a sign of greater problems when it comes to mental health."
The officer who was shot has been released from the hospital.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
