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Man killed in Colorado shootout with BLM acquitted in 1993 shootings

Posted at 12:21 PM, May 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-30 14:21:48-04

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — A man killed in a shootout with Bureau of Land Management officers in western Colorado killed two people and wounded five others at a bar in Colorado Springs 25 years ago.

The Mesa County Coroner's Office said Tuesday that 67-year-old Eugene Herbert Baylis died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The Gazette reports that he was acquitted in the 1993 shootings after his attorneys argued he fired in self-defense after a motorcycle gang member shot him in the face earlier with a pellet gun.

Authorities say two BLM rangers were checking on a van parked on BLM property near Grand Junction Sunday when Baylis fired at officers, hitting one in his protective vest. The other officer returned fire, killing Baylis.

The Daily Sentinel reports the BLM hasn't provided an update on the wounded officer.