Jason Pohl

jasonpohl@coloradoan.com

A Fort Collins police officer shot and killed a man Sunday afternoon after the suspect fired at least one round that struck the officer's bulletproof vest during an otherwise routine call for service.

Fort Collins Police Services at around 3:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, responded to a call for a welfare check at building L of Cimarron Square Townhouses on the southeast corner of Drake Road and Shields Street.

The responding officer saw an unidentified man lying on the ground of a west-facing stairwell. As the officer approached and attempted to contact the man, the man pulled out a pistol and shot the officer at least once, Fort Collins Police Services Deputy Chief Cory Christensen said.

The officer shot back, striking the man an unspecified number of times.

Christensen said the officer was struck in his bulletproof vest, which patrol officers in Fort Collins are required to wear.

Both the officer and the suspect were taken by ambulance to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. Their identities were not made available Sunday pending notification of family.

The suspect died at the hospital, Christensen said Sunday evening. The extent of his injuries was not immediately released, but a large pool of smeared blood remained the focal point of detectives' investigation several hours after the shooting occurred.

The officer was injured but was expected to recover, Christensen said, adding that he was "newer" and had been with Fort Collins police for less than a year after transferring from another agency.

The officer was the first to respond to the scene while an additional unit was en route to the welfare check, a common call for police and emergency personnel regarding anything that seems out of the ordinary.

"He's the kind of guy that, if you were calling for help, you'd want him to come help you out," he said.

His identity will be released in coming days.

Arzelia Morgan was outside smoking a cigarette about 50 yards away when the shooting happened.

"It sounded like two (shots)," Morgan said. "And then four really fast."

Morgan, who lives in the townhouses that house a mix of Colorado State University students and families, thought the shots were fireworks at first when she realized it wasn't a car crash at the nearby intersection.

Brandon Black lives across the parking lot from the shooting. With the sound of gunshots fresh in his mind spending Saturday at the firing range, he said he distinctly heard "at least five shots" echo off the building's walls.

A slew of emergency responders and police were there "almost instantaneously," he said.

The complex's manager declined to comment.

Security cameras are mounted around the building and at an adjacent shopping center, but it was not immediately known whether the incident was captured on camera. Christensen did not immediately know whether the officer was wearing a body-mounted camera — the department has 60 in use among patrol officers.

After the "shots fired" call aired, more than 12 marked police cars raced to the scene, blocking off lanes of northbound Shields and eastbound Drake well into the evening as detectives snapped photos, took measurements and worked to piece together what happened.

The maze of crime scene tape cordoned off the entire corner of the complex.

"This kind of thing is all hands on deck," Christensen said.

It's rare for officers in Fort Collins to be hit by gunfire. The last time a police officer was shot was Christmas Day 2009 when an officer, who has since returned to duty, was hit three times. Prior to that, the last time an officer was shot was in 1992.

Additional information about the deceased suspect, the officer and what led to the shooting are expected to be released in the coming days. Fort Collins police will lead the investigation with oversight provided by the Larimer County District Attorney's Office.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.

Officer-involved shootings

A look back at past officer-involved shootings in Fort Collins:

June 5: Officer Mathew Brough shoots Richard Ivey, 53, outside Poudre Valley Hospital after Ivey approached him with a knife. Brough's use of force was deemed justified. Ivey faces two counts of felony menacing with a weapon.

Sept. 29, 2013: Officer Brinton Deighton shoots Jordan Koehn, 24, after Koehn pointed a gun at his own head, and then at officers, while they responded to a report of a suicidal man in the 3500 block of South Stover Street. Deighton's shooting was ruled justified, and Koehn later pleaded guilty to a weapons charge.

Nov. 25, 2011: Officer Michael Crosland shoots Scott Mendias, 41, after Mendias reached for a black toy replica handgun tucked in his waistband. Crosland was cleared in the shooting, and Mendias later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstructing an officer in a plea deal.