LINCOLN COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputy is in serious but stable condition after being shot multiple times while responding to a theft call near Hugo.
A truck driver called 911 after a person tried to break into a truck parked alongside the road.
“Within seconds of being out of his car he was met with a hail of gunfire and was struck multiple times and immediately retreated back,” said Lincoln County Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Yowell.
Details of his injuries were not clear, but a public information officer for the sheriff’s department said he was wearing his bulletproof vest although it was not hit by any bullets.
“I struggle to find a word for that we lived for those few hours where we were trying to figure out if Mike was OK. Scared, and if anybody tells you anything else, they’re wrong,” Yowell said.
The person who called 911 was also injured but refused treatment.
What we know about Deputy Hutton
Hutton has been with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department since 2014. Before that, he spent a decade as a military police officer.
He is married and has a young son. According to the PIO, he also works as a crossing guard in Hugo.
“I lost it. I couldn’t believe it,” said friend Michael Villegas, recalling when he first heard the news.
“I just want to wish him the best. Get well, quick! We’re missing you in Limon.”
Hutton’s wife and son are at his side in a Denver hospital, as well as the sheriff and undersheriff.
“We were most concerned about the deputy and heard he was in stable condition//that’s the part that I was glad to hear,” said Lincoln County resident Martin Adams.
What happened after Deputy Hutton was shot?
The shooting happened around 3 a.m. along US 40 near Highway 287. During a news conference, a PIO said Hutton’s body camera was activated and was able to help communicate what he was unable to.
This body camera is currently part of the investigation but may be released in the future.
The suspect was later found dead several hours later, around 10:15 a.m., in a field.
“We didn’t know where (the suspect was). We knew it was on this road but we didn’t know where,” said Hugo resident James Riner.
The PIO said investigators were called there because of something that was out of place compared to the rest of the green grass in the area.
The last time an officer was shot in Lincoln County
In 2011, Limon Police Officer Jay William Sheridan was killed while serving an arrest warrant.
According to the Lincoln County PIO, many officers who responded to the scene where Hutton was shot were also involved in the response to the 2011 incident or knew Sheridan.
Hutton was set to serve as a member of the honor guard in an upcoming Memorial Day ceremony in the county which would, in part, honor Sheridan.