Three Colorado sheriff deputies were shot Wednesday in yet another spike in violence against law enforcement this year.
One Park County deputy died, the second has life threatening injuries and the third has non-life threatening injuries, 9News reports. The deputies went to serve an eviction notice when the shooting broke out. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, which helped with the investigation, said one suspect opened fire with a rifle and was killed by police.
Our thoughts & prayers are with our brothers & sisters today at the @ParkCounty Sheriff’s Office #ThinBlueLine
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) February 24, 2016
Deputies with @jeffcosheriffco & Park County just left Deer Creek Elementary near the home in #Bailey. pic.twitter.com/pvvDwNsxDk
— James Dougherty (@DoughertyKMGH) February 24, 2016
UPDATE #ParkCOShooting Sheriff Wegener is at the hospital w/his injured deputies. Updates will be tweeted. @CBI_Colorado is lead agency
— Jeffco Sheriff (@jeffcosheriffco) February 24, 2016
Authorities said a bomb squad was called out of an “abundance of caution” but that there was no danger to people nearby.
“Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and SWAT TEAM and Colorado State Police are providing backup to the area,” the Park County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The incident is part of a huge uptick in violence against law enforcement. According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, gun-related deaths of police are up 800 percent from the same time last year. The data shows that nine officers have died in firearm-related deaths this year, while at the same time in 2015, only one officer had been in a firearm-related death.
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