Police officer shoots, kills burglary suspect

Colorado Springs police shot and killed a burglary suspect Sunday and arrested another one when an officer walked in on the two trying to steal from a home in northeast Colorado Springs.

The officer was investigating a possible burglary in progress about 11:20 a.m. at 8280 Candon Drive. The homeowners, Mark and Robin Sherwood, had reported that their car had just been broken into while they were eating at a restaurant, said Robert Sherwood, Mark Sherwood's father. The couple noticed that their garage door opener and car registration were missing and immediately called police.

When a police officer arrived, he saw that the garage door of the home was open and called for backup. When he went inside, he saw the two suspects and shots were fired, said Lt. David Whitlock, police spokesman.

Whitlock said he could not confirm whether the suspects were armed or whether they shot at the officer.

One of the suspects was shot and died at the scene, and the other tried to run away. Whitlock did not release the names of the suspects or the police officer.

The officer chased down the other suspect and caught up with him across the street. Whitlock did not confirm how the officer stopped the suspect, but neighbors said they saw him use a Taser.

The officer, who was still by himself, asked neighbor Stefan Steenmeyer to hold down the suspect until help arrived.

At first, Steenmeyer said he didn't know what was going on. He had gotten into his truck and was about to drive away when the officer flagged him down.

"He said ‘can you hold this guy down? Can you hold this guy down, I've got to run to the scene,'" Steenmeyer said.

The suspect was handcuffed and disoriented and was easy to hold down, Steenmeyer said. He said he saw Taser wires hanging from the suspect's body. Steenmeyer said he held the suspect for about five minutes until officers arrived to help.

Whitlock said that the suspect was arrested and taken to the hospital.

"He was taken to the hospital but not because of any injuries that occurred as a result of the arrest," Whitlock said.

Whitlock said that officers are still investigating the incident.

"We are going to get to the bottom of it and find out what led to this rather unfortunate encounter," he said.

The officer has been put on paid administrative leave while investigators from the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office and Colorado Springs police look into what happened.

The El Paso County Coroner's Office will also conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

This is the second time this month that a Colorado Springs police officer has shot at a suspect.

On May 4, an officer shot at but missed a man during a foot chase.

That incident is still being investigated.

Whitlock said that it is a rare occurrence when officers shoot and kill a suspect.

"It is something that none of us want to be involved in, in our careers," he said.

"However, it is unfortunately one of the hazards of the business, and it's something that we're all prepared for."
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