SADIE GURMAN
Associated Press
DENVER (AP) — The man who shot and wounded two suburban Denver police officers checking on him at his home was stopped by a third officer who arrived later and returned fire, authorities said Sunday.
The injured female and male officers as well as the suspect were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, said Sgt. Randy McNitt, a Lakewood police spokesman. He told The Associated Press that the officers’ bulletproof vests “played a key role” in saving their lives.
The officers got to the suspect’s Lakewood home west of Denver around 10 p.m. Saturday after the man’s wife told police she was worried about him because he was despondent.
The man, whose name has not been released because he has not been formally charged, immediately opened fire on the officers. A third officer who arrived a short time later injured the suspect.
Details about the officers’ and the suspect’s injuries have not been released. The officers’ names also have not been released.
KMGH-TV in Denver reported that police searched the home to see if the man had weapons other than the handgun.
The station reported at least 14 police vehicles and five emergency vehicles, as well as vehicles from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the shooting.
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Associated Press writer Bob Seavey in Phoenix contributed to this story.
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