LONGMONT, Colo. — Police have identified the man killed during an officer-involved shooting outside a Longmont movie theater Thursday night.
Gillie Thurby, 28, was wanted on a felony failure-to-appear warrant out of Boulder County. He faced a number of charges related to sexual assault on a child and child pornography.
Three officers were trying to contact Thurby on the warrant when the incident began around 9:45 p.m. Thursday at the Village at the Peaks Mall at 1250 South Hoover Road in Longmont.
Two of the officers were in full uniform and the third was in plain clothes, but with “identifiable police identification,” the Longmont Police Department said.
The officers approached the suspect near the fire pit outside the Regal Cinema.
“During the arrest, officers attempted to subdue the armed man with a Taser and later shot the individual when he pulled his firearm from his waistband. Two officers fired multiple rounds, striking the suspect who died at the scene,” LPD said in a statement issued to the media early Friday.
No officers or bystanders were injured in the shooting, which was witnessed by several people.
LPD said Thurby attempted to buy a gun on Sept. 11 from a Loveland pawn shop, which was in violation of his court-issued protection order. The purchase was denied due to his criminal history. However, police could not say how Thurby obtained the gun in Thursday’s incident.
“The Boulder County Investigations Team and the Longmont Police Department are also investigating the purchase and potential transfer of the firearm found in Mr. Thurby’s possession at the time of the shooting,” an LPD spokesperson said in a statement.
The officers involved have not been identified. LPD said there have been “implied threats by associates.”
“Out of concern for the officers and their families, we are evaluating the nature of the threats and will gauge the reaction by associates as the investigation continues. As this investigation progresses we will evaluate all the information and make a decision on the timing of any release,” LPD said.
The officers involved are on administrative leave during the investigation, per department policy.
