A Fort Collins police officer responding to a domestic violence disturbance shot an armed suspect holding his estranged wife hostage four times as the suspect fatally shot himself, ending the threat.

Newly-released body camera footage shows that the incident played out in fewer than 10 seconds after the officer arrived on scene.

Officer Keith Hunter was justified in the shooting of 36-year-old Joshua Moore on Jan. 12, Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel ruled Thursday.

Police responded to several reports of a person shooting a gun in the 2600 block of Bradbury Court that night. When Hunter arrived on scene around 10:08 p.m., he saw Moore chasing his estranged wife down the street. Hunter's body camera footage shows Moore grabbing the woman and moving away from the officer.

In the video, Hunter can be heard yelling for Moore to "stop now." Then, after Hunter hears Moore's gun fire, he begins shooting at the suspect, striking him four times.

An investigation and an autopsy revealed that as Moore fell to the pavement, he fatally shot himself in the right side of the head, Riedel said.

The Larimer County Coroner's Office ruled Moore's death a suicide.

The release of the body camera footage on the same day of the district attorney's opinion is unprecedented for Fort Collins Police Services.

This incident is the first fatal officer-involved shooting since Jeff Swoboda took over as chief of the department on June 4.

Since Fort Collins police officers began wearing body-mounted cameras in 2012, four fatal officer-involved shootings have been captured on video. In all of the instances, the officers have been cleared of wrongdoing by the district attorney:

Riedel's letter and the body camera footage Thursday offered new details about Moore's case, which Swoboda labeled domestic violence in a video statement.

Moore and his wife, who had been married for about two years but had been living apart for six months, had a "heated argument" the afternoon of the shooting, Riedel wrote.

Concerned Moore would come to her home on Bradbury Court, the woman left the house, taking her children to a friend's house. When her 18-year-old son returned to the home later, he found that someone had broken in with a sledgehammer and "destroyed" it.

Shortly after Moore's wife returned to the residence with friends and her children, Moore drove into the home's yard and began firing a gun into the home, including a shot that passed through the windshield of the black BMW sedan he was driving, according to physical evidence at the scene, 911 calls made from inside the residence and witness statements, Riedel wrote.

"There is evidence to suggest that Mr. Moore was, in fact, lying in wait for (the victim) to return to the residence," Riedel's letter reads.

While Moore tried to force his way into the home, his wife and those with her were able to escape. She told police she saw him come into the house with a gun as she was exiting. Her children and friend got into a Jeep, fleeing the home. She ran the other way, toward Deerfield Drive, attempting to draw him away from the others.

Hunter's body camera footage shows Moore chasing her and grabbing her as Hunter exits his patrol vehicle. In the video, six shots can be heard, two from Moore and four from Hunter, according to Riedel.

Had Moore survived, Riedel wrote, "sufficient evidence exists" to have charged him with multiple felony offenses including attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, felony criminal mischief, felony menacing with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and habitual criminal charges.

"Domestic violence is unfortunately everywhere," Swoboda said in the video. "We want to help. No one should have to live in a relationship that has domestic violence part of it."

Moore was previously arrested in March 2017 after police said he punched an officer multiple times while they responded to a disturbance at a central Fort Collins home.

According to his arrest documents from that case, a caller reported hearing a woman say "please don't kill me," and a man say he was going to choke her.

Moore pleaded guilty to an amended count of felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon in July 2018 and was sentenced to two years probation. Five other charges were dismissed by the Larimer County District Attorney's Office.

Moore had a significant criminal history in Larimer, Weld and Washington counties, starting in 2002. He had been convicted of two counts of attempted vehicular eluding, third-degree assault, controlled substance possession, driving under the influence, and several traffic infractions.

Coloradoan reporter Jake Laxen contributed to this report.

About domestic violence

Domestic violence is a pattern of abuse that can include physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, and financial elements where the abuser's conscious or unconscious goal is to gain or maintain control. There are not always physical signs of abuse.

Girls and young women ages 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence, but the abuse can impact anyone.

Early warning signs of an abusive partner:

Controlling behavior

Guilt trips

Threats

Intimidation

Isolation

Jealousy

Name-calling

Manipulation

Explosive temper

Mood swings

Checking your cellphone or email without permission

If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, call Crossroads Safehouse for confidential help at 970-482-3502.

Source: Ashley Doolittle Foundation and Crossroads Safehouse