Investigators determined a report of shots fired near a Littleton Safeway in February that caused several local schools to go on lockout was actually a malfunctioning generator at the grocery store.

“We sincerely appreciate the partnership with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and apologize for the disruption and alarm this may have caused our neighbors,” said Kris Staaf, Safeway’s director of public affairs. “We are working with both our contractor and manufacturer of the generator to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”

On Feb. 23, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was searching for witnesses who claimed to see a shooter unload dozens of bullets by a nearby apartment complex.

Deputies asked residents and commuters to avoid the area Friday morning, temporarily closing roads within a quarter-mile radius.

Related Articles Many heard dozens of shots fired near Safeway store, now Jeffco Sheriff is looking for people who saw the shooter

Several area schools were put on lockout, with Jefferson County Public Schools asking parents who hadn’t dropped their kids off on campus yet to stay home.

After investigating for several weeks — including searching the area, interviewing witnesses and visiting active construction sites — the sheriff’s office discovered after getting another tip of shots fired in the same area today that the cause of the sounds was a malfunctioning generator on the roof of the Safeway shopping center building in the 12000 block of West Ken Caryl Avenue.

“Safeway has been very cooperative throughout our investigation and is currently taking steps to fix the problem,” the sheriff’s office said.



