A Greeley police officer fatally shot a man Wednesday afternoon after the man walked quickly towards the officer with a knife and failed to comply with the officer’s orders to drop the knife. The incident happened after the department received numerous calls about a man brandishing a knife in the 500 block of 16th Avenue. The man, whose identity has not yet been released, was on parole.
The man was pronounced dead on the scene at 2:25 p.m. The identity of the man will not be released until his next of kin is informed by the Weld County Coroner’s Office, after which the details will be released to the public. The Weld County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) will be investigating the officer. No officers or members of the public were injured in the incident.
“We cannot confirm if the officer is on paid leave,” said Melissa Chesmore, Weld County CIRT’s public information officer. “However, [for] most incidents like this, the officer is placed on paid leave… The investigation will more than likely take a few weeks. Once the investigation is concluded, it’s sent to the District Attorney to determine whether or not the officer was justified in using force.”
The CIRT is composed of law enforcement personnel “designated by the sheriff, police chiefs, and the district attorney of the participating agencies.” According to the CIRT guidelines, no CIRT members from the Greeley Police Department will be used for “critical duties” in relation to this investigation to maintain transparency and avoid potential conflicts of interest.
Upon completion of the investigation, the CIRT team will present the findings to the DA, chief deputies, the assistant DA, and “any other individuals designated by the team coordinators or district attorney.” No one involved in the incident is allowed to attend the presentation.
Community members with information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact Weld County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. Kevin Halloran at (970) 400-2837 or Lt. Ben Endreson at (970) 400-2870. Deputy Grady Nicholson is the lead detective on this case, and can be reached at, 970-400-4293.
