The Douglas County Sheriff's office south of Denver says a suspect fired more than 100 rounds in a shooting that killed one police officer and wounded four others, along with two civilians, on Sunday morning.
The officers were shot after responding to an initial report of domestic violence at the Copper Canyon Apartments just after 5 a.m., Sheriff Tony Spurlock said in a news conference.
The slain officer was 29-year-old Zackari Parrish, who had worked for the Douglas County Sheriff's Office for about seven months. A motorcade escorted the body of the fallen officer from a nearby hospital in Littleton, Colo.
.@SheriffSpurlock names29-year-old Zackari Parrish, deputy and former CRPD officer killed in #CopperCanyonOIS. Our hearts our heavy today as we mourn the loss of one of our brothers. Thank you all for your support. https://t.co/kJKCYaZ7Uq pic.twitter.com/RmdB9CI5Tg
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) December 31, 2017
The four other officers who were injured are in stable condition, and the two civilians suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The Sheriff's office reports that an unidentified suspect was shot dead.
Spurlock described the incident as an "ambush-type attack on our officers." After receiving a disturbance call, officers arrived at the apartment of two male roommates at about 5:15 a.m. and were let inside by one of them, he says. While deputies were questioning the man, the gunman barricaded himself in a room before firing on the officers shortly before 6 a.m.
The officers "were shot very, very quickly," Spurlock told reporters. "They all went down almost within seconds of each other."
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) December 31, 2017
A SWAT team responded to the scene, according to a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's office, and a major highway south of the city was shut down.
The Sheriff's office tweeted that "due to the size and scope of this investigation an emergency shelter has been set up" at a nearby recreation center. In a "code red" alert, the sheriff's office told residents to shelter in place, avoid windows and stay away from exterior walls.
President Trump tweeted his "deepest condolences to the victims of the terrible shooting in Douglas County ... and their families."
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