Andrew Trunsky on December 28, 2021
A mass shooting across suburban Denver late Monday left five dead and one police officer injured, according to local reports.
In a press conference, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said the suspect, who was also declared dead, participated in “a series of violent incidences” around Denver beginning at about 5 p.m. local time. Pazen said that there were four separate shootings resulting in three dead, and he described the killer as being on a “killing spree.”
Authorities in nearby Lakewood, Colorado, were notified of an active shooter less than an hour later, according to John Romero, the town’s police department spokesman, after the victim had encountered police and drove to the suburb. Officers say they found a fourth victim dead when they arrived at the latest scene.
When authorities encountered the shooter once again, he opened fire on them and fled on foot, police said. The suspect, who police described as a man, sheltered in a Hyatt hotel where he then shot a clerk, the extent of whose injuries remained unclear late Monday.
The shooter then encountered a single officer and shot him, police said. The officer remained in surgery as of Monday night’s press conference.
“We just ask everyone in our community for their thoughts and prayers for that agent and their family,” Romero said.
The shooter then exchanged gunfire with more officers, and he was confirmed to be dead shortly after, though police did not say whether it was an officer who fired the fatal shot.
Officials also said that a motive had yet to be determined.
“We need to really dig and find out what the motivation behind this was,” Pazen said.
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