K9 Tre helps bring peaceful end to shooting incident, shelter-in-place: CSPD
CSPD reported that at around 2 p.m. on Saturday, officers responded to calls regarding a shooting in the 1100 block of Sunset Road, where they found two victims who had been injured by gunshots. Officers secured the scene and provided medical aid to the victims.
A witness from several blocks south, in the 300 block of Iowa Avenue, near Platte Avenue, called 911 and stated that they encountered the suspect, who told them that he had just shot two people and intended to have a gunfight with police to commit “suicide by cop.”
A Real Time Crime Center (RTCC) Drone Operator launched a drone and began providing an aerial overview of the area as patrol officers began a search. The drone operator soon found a man matching the suspect’s description running from the area and directed officers toward the suspect’s location.
A CSPD sergeant saw the suspect running north through an alley in the 600 block of Sunset Road and noted that as the suspect ran, he tried to conceal an object in his waistband. The sergeant continued to keep the suspect in his sight and saw him jump a fence into a nearby property. The sergeant relayed the info to other officers, and they set up containment to prevent the suspect from escaping the area.
A shelter-in-place was ordered for the area, advising those who lived nearby to stay indoors and secure their homes. CSPD K9 and the Tactical Enforcement Unit (TEU) responded to assist.
K9 Tre and his officer cooperated with TEU officers to search the area where the sergeant had last seen the suspect. K9 Tre quickly found a discarded handgun in a patch of tall grass and alerted officers to its location, allowing them to remove a significant threat from the scene. TEU officers then saw fresh scuff marks on a nearby fence, indicating that the suspect had gone that way.
K9 Tre and TEU officers followed the evidence into a nearby home’s backyard, and while K9 Tre methodically searched potential threat areas, a TEU officer saw the suspect hiding beneath a shelving unit inside a chicken coop, according to CSPD. The officer ordered the suspect to crawl into view while K9 Tre was intently focused on the suspect.
The suspect complied with the commands and was safely taken into custody without the need to use physical force. He was booked into the Criminal Justice Center on felony charges, according to CSPD.