DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — Two people are dead and one deputy was injured in an officer-involved shooting at an RTD station in Douglas County early Wednesday morning.
According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, a shelter-in-place order was issued for the RTD Lincoln Station. The station is located at 10203 Station Way in Lone Tree.
DCSO said that there was heavy law enforcement activity at the station and shots were fired. At that time all residents in the area were advised to stay away from windows and lock their doors.
Stolen vehicle patrol leads to shooting
A deputy who is part of a special unit that looks for stolen vehicles in Douglas County was on patrol at the parking garage when they came upon a suspicious vehicle, according to DCSO.
“Just out of nowhere, the suspects inside the car, both sides, started to shoot at our officers,” Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said. (Watch the full news conference on FOX31 NOW.)
According to DCSO, six deputies returned fire and killed the two people inside the Kia. The shootout lasted 7-9 minutes, with at least 35 rounds fired. All six deputies have been placed on administrative leave per Douglas County protocol.
The two suspects were the only people inside the car, and according to DCSO, both had warrants out for their arrest. Spurlock said that at least two weapons were found in the car.
One deputy was also transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. According to Spurlock, the deputy was hit in the face with glass from the driver’s side window. Spurlock said miraculously a bullet did go through the deputy’s sleeve but did not injure him. The deputy has been treated and released from the hospital.
The shelter-in-place was lifted at 3 a.m. The RTD station, parking lot and ramp were reopened at 12 p.m.
According to Spurlock, this is the first officer-involved shooting in Douglas County in 2022 so far.
Auto theft rising in Douglas County
Deputies later confirmed the black Kia was stolen from Pueblo.
“We’ve been having a string of auto thefts all across the northern border of Douglas County. This is just one of those places where they often go and steal cars from,” Spurlock said.
In 2017, there were 279 motor vehicle thefts in Douglas County. That number surged to 484 last year. The numbers include vehicles stolen from other jurisdictions but were recovered in Douglas County.
Alicia Costa’s Hyundai was stolen in Lone Tree two months ago. Her reaction to the shooting involving a stolen car overnight?
“I’m not shocked by it anymore. I am extremely happy to hear they caught somebody in action, because with it being an epidemic in the U.S., it’s not fair to people having to be OK with their property being stolen,” Costa said.
Spurlock said auto thieves are let out of jail too soon. What the stolen car was doing in this Lone Tree garage is not clear.
Douglas County has a special unit called the Pattern Crimes Unit that looks for stolen cars. That unit was on patrol when it came across the car here. Investigators say the two suspects had warrants related to auto thefts.
FOX31’s Vicente Arenas contributed to this report.