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Off-duty deputy, robbery suspect shot in Aurora

Posted at 7:45 PM, Jan 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-27 10:16:38-05

A Jefferson County deputy continues to fight for his life after being shot Tuesday evening in Aurora.

Investigators are still searching for one of the shooters.

Officers responded to the Courtyards at Buckley apartment complex parking lot at 17396 East Adriatic Drive, near Rangeview High School, around 7:30 p.m. 

Police say this started as a random robbery involving two suspects.

The deputy was able to fire back after he was shot multiple times in the chest and stomach.

Police say a juvenile suspect was shot in the leg. He's now in custody at the hospital.

Multiple people were nearby when the shooting happened.

"(The deputy) immediately started screaming, 'I'm an officer! I'm off duty, someone please help,'" said resident Kenneth Mitchell. "By the third shot, he had that out and you could hear as he was screaming more and more that he was in pain."

Mitchell said neighbors were rushing to help even as the suspects' were firing.

"Even though he was still shooting, there were still people coming out to assist (the deputy)," said Mitchell. "There's a young lady, she lives on the bottom edge, she was the first one out."

Another neighbor, Mike Marshall, was among those who ran to offer aid.

"I heard gunshots and came running outside. Around the corner, I saw two guys running and a guy that was on the ground. Ran up to him. He said he was an off-duty (deputy). Two holes in his stomach. Another guy that was there called 911. I held his head up and we put pressure on his wounds," Marshall said. 

Police established a perimeter and a the Aurora Police SWAT team conducted a "thorough house to house search" with a K-9 unit. The Denver Police Department launched their helicopter to search from above. The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office also helped search. 

At around 12:15 a.m. officers finished their search of the area but didn't find the second suspect. Officers were still investigating the scene Wednesday morning.

Officers sent a reverse 911 call to neighbors to explain the situation. They are asked to call police to report any suspicious activity.

Rangeview High School was temporarily put on lockdown as a precaution. Sports events were held at the school on Tuesday.

 

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