A Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy drew his gun in an Aurora apartment complex parking lot with one thought on his mind.

“I’m not dying today. Not today. Another day, maybe. It’s not my time yet,” Deputy Jose Ramon Marquez told investigators about a Jan. 26 shooting in which two masked men attacked him.

On Wednesday, Rich Orman, the chief deputy district attorney for the 18th Judicial District, cleared Marquez in the shooting. Marquez was off duty at the time and visiting his girlfriend. He was cooking dinner for her and her children.

In an exchange of gunfire that left him seriously wounded, Marquez hit one suspect in the leg, and another of his .45-caliber bullets made a “one in a billion” shot, according to a letter Orman wrote to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader and Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz.

That round traveled up the barrel of the attacker’s gun, colliding with a cartridge in the chamber and rendering the .40-caliber pistol inoperable, the letter said.

Marquez, a 10-year veteran of the department, was shot twice in the abdomen and once in the shoulder. The bullets damaged his intestines, colon and liver. He also suffered fractured ribs, Orman’s letter said.

Marquez is still recovering from the wounds and has not returned to work at the sheriff’s department, said Mark Techmeyer, a sheriff’s spokesman.

“We’re still hopeful for a full recovery,” he said.

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One 17-year-old suspect has been charged with eight crimes in connection with the felony, including attempted murder, assault and felony menacing. He was shot in the leg.

Aurora police found the teen after he called Aurora 911 to report that he had been shot. In a nearby yard, investigators found a gun with bullets that matched rounds fired at Marquez and black gloves. A dark face mask was found in the seat of a stolen Chevrolet Equinox that was connected to the teen, Orman’s letter said.

The second suspect remains at large.

Marquez told investigators that two young men dressed in black and with masks covering their faces approached Marquez as he was walking the apartment complex parking lot.

One of the young men first said, “Hello, brother,” as he approached Marquez, who was dressed in plain clothes. As they passed each other, one of the men turned and said, “Give it up,” the letter said.

Marquez said that is when he knew something bad was about to happen, Orman’s letter said.

The young man pulled out a pistol and racked the slide to get a bullet in the chamber. As Marquez drew his .45-caliber service weapon, the man fired at him, the letter said.

Marquez fired four times. The gunman fired 12 times, the letter said.

Marquez said he told himself during the shooting, “You’re the bad guy. I’m the good guy.”

The chief deputy district attorney’s letter said investigators looked into whether someone could have ordered a hit on Marquez but found nothing to substantiate that was the case.

“He has received no threats from anyone and has had no recent issues with anyone, personally or professionally, that (could) be linked to this shooting,” the letter said. “He had no road rage incidents and had never seen the two males before.”