Lakewood, Colorado, police officer killed and three wounded in gunfight with suspect at RTD bus

A Lakewood, Colorado, police officer was killed and three others were wounded Thursday evening, Nov. 5, in a gunfight with a man trying to board a Regional Transportation District bus. Police shot and killed the suspect at the scene.

A civilian was also injured. How that person was hurt has not been determined.

What police say happened

Officers were called around 6:30 p.m. MT to the intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, about 5 miles west of downtown Denver, for a report of a suspicious person. Lakewood Police spokesman John Romero said the man may have been involved in a hit-and-run earlier in the day.

The man was attempting to get on an RTD bus when officers approached him.

"Within seconds of agents approaching the suspect, the suspect opened fire on our agents," Romero told reporters at a news conference. "A gunfight ensued."

Four Lakewood officers were hit. Lakewood uses the title "agent" for its sworn officers. One of the four died of his or her injuries. The suspect, described by Romero as an adult male, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Romero did not say what type of firearm the suspect used.

The wounded

The three surviving officers were taken to area hospitals, with Denver Health Medical Center receiving several of the wounded. Romero did not release their conditions at the news conference. A later Lakewood PD social media post described them as in serious to critical condition, according to a published account, while Romero described their conditions as stable.

CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital said it was treating one patient with non-life-threatening injuries. The hospital did not say whether that patient was an officer.

The name of the officer who died has not been released. Neither have the names of the wounded officers or the suspect.

Unanswered questions at the scene

Police have not said whether the shooting happened inside the bus or just outside it. Romero said he believed it was on the bus but could not confirm that.

RTD said the shooting occurred aboard an RTD-contracted bus on Route 76. The agency said its personnel responded immediately and are cooperating with police. It said there were no impacts to service.

Witness accounts differ on the details. Patrick Dickman, who was inside the Easy Pawn nearby, told CBS Colorado that a car rear-ended the bus and that he then heard 13 shots. He said officers surrounded the back of the bus and fired into it. Other witnesses told KDVR-TV they heard rapid gunfire, as many as eight or nine shots. Bullet holes were visible in the bus windows.

Police confirmed a red vehicle crashed into the rear of the bus at some point. They said they did not know what led to the crash or whether it was connected to the suspect.

None of these witness accounts has been confirmed by police.

Response and investigation

The Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, with support from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. That multi-agency team routinely handles shootings involving police in the county.

Colorado State Patrol assisted at the scene and took part in a procession from the hospital honoring the fallen officer. A long line of law enforcement vehicles from agencies across the Denver metro area gathered outside Denver Health.

Gov. Jared Polis said in a written statement: "Law enforcement put their lives on the line for our safety everyday and I am heartbroken to learn that a Lakewood Police Agent was killed in the line of duty this evening." He added that his thoughts were with the three wounded agents and the injured civilian.

Romero spoke directly to the dead officer's family. "We just want the family to know that we love them, that we're here for them, and Lakewood Police Department is a family, and we will be here for each other," he said.

He also thanked firefighters and officers from surrounding jurisdictions, and residents who have reached out to the department. "We are still here to protect you, but we thank you for the love and support that you've shown us thus far," he said.

What comes next

Police said they would release more information today, Nov. 6, and stressed that what they have said so far is preliminary and subject to verification.

The open items are specific. Police have yet to name the dead officer, the wounded officers and the suspect. They have not said how the civilian was injured, whether the hit-and-run connection holds up, or whether the red vehicle that struck the bus was tied to the suspect. The investigation team will also have to reconcile the differing witness counts of shots fired against the physical evidence.