A Lakewood police officer was killed and three other officers were wounded Thursday evening in a shootout with a man near a transit bus in the Denver suburb, authorities said.
Officers responded around 6:30 p.m. to a report of a suspicious person at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, about five miles west of downtown Denver, police spokesperson John Romero said. The man was attempting to board a Regional Transportation District bus when officers approached him.
The man opened fire within seconds of officers approaching, striking four of them, Romero said at a news conference. Officers returned fire, killing the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The three surviving officers were taken to local hospitals. A civilian bystander was also wounded in the gunfire and taken to a hospital. The names of the officers, the bystander and the suspect had not been released as of Friday.
Romero said the suspect may have been involved in a hit-and-run crash earlier in the day. The Regional Transportation District said it was cooperating fully with the investigation.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statement expressing grief over the death of the officer, and the Colorado State Patrol said its "hearts are broken." The Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
