A man was in critical condition Friday morning after he was shot by Longmont police during a confrontation at an apartment complex parking lot in which he drew a BB gun on officers. The gun looked identical to a handgun, Longmont Police Deputy Chief Jeff Satur said.
The 26-year-old man, who is Black, was shot at least twice by police after police said he refused to drop the gun. He was transported to UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital and then flown by helicopter to the Medical Center of the Rockies, Satur said.
None of the officers, who were not identified, were injured in the shooting.
The two officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the external investigation, which is department policy. The Critical Incident Team for the 20th Judicial District is investigating the case, Satur said.
“The Boulder County Critical Incident Team quickly responded to Longmont and will be conducting an extremely thorough investigation,” he said.
The multi-agency Critical Incident Team investigates fatalities in which law enforcement uses physical or deadly force in the course of official duties.
The shooting comes as the deaths of Black people at the hands of police, including George Floyd in Minneapolis in May and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, in March, have sparked nationwide protests and prompted the Colorado Legislature last month to pass a police reform bill.
Based on preliminary information, recordings from dispatch and body-worn camera video, Satur described Friday's incident as follows:
At 1:11 a.m. Friday, police dispatchers received a call from a man who was calling on behalf of a woman who lives in Building A of the Stonehedge Place apartment complex at 600 Martin St., Satur said.
The caller said a Black man, who was known to the woman, was outside her apartment, harassing her and refusing to leave. The caller also said the man “had a 9 mm in his back pocket.”
Officers responded to the parking lot near buildings A, B and C and contacted the man outside the apartment. As officers approached, they asked him to put up his hands and asked if he was carrying a weapon. The man initially complied and denied he was armed, Satur said.
As officers stepped closer, the suspect stepped back and drew a pistol from his front waistband, Satur said. Officers yelled multiple commands to drop the weapon, and one officer fired a handgun at the suspect, according to Satur.
The man then dropped between two cars, and an officer with a view of him told other officers he was still holding the pistol, Satur said. Police continued to ask the suspect to drop the weapon, show his hands, and he did not comply, according to Satur.
The officer with a view of the suspect then fired with a rifle, Satur said.
The suspect was carrying an Illinois driver’s license and his home address is unknown.
Certain portions of Martin Street will be closed today while the investigation is conducted, Satur said.
Police included a picture of the BB gun and screenshots with a news release issued Friday morning.
Anyone who might have witnessed the incident is asked to call Lafayette Police Department Cmdr. Scott Emmerson at 303-661-1398.
