PUEBLO, CO — A newly obtained arrest affidavit details the events that led up to and followed the shooting of a Pueblo Police Officer last week.
On Wednesday, October 4th, the Pueblo Police Department responded to a house on Surfwood Lane in response to a domestic violence report when one officer was shot. The officer was later released from the hospital, but was not identified at this article's time of publishing.
The arrest affidavit states officers went to the house at Surfwood Lane where they confronted a man, later identified as Deon Council-Rivera. The affidavit says that after the officers asked for Council-Rivera to step out of the residence, he disappeared from their view, then quickly returned with a handgun to allegedly shoot at the responding officers.
One of the officers was hit int the right shoulder and lower left of their ballistic vest. According to the document, Sarah Blanco, the woman who reported Council-Rivera to police, can be heard screaming that a child is inside the residence on the body camera video. While another officer checked on the officer who was shot, a small child came running out of the house. Officers can be heard on video yelling at a child who ran out of the house during the altercation before being grabbed by Sarah Blanco and taken to safety.
Following a brief stand-off with the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office and the Pueblo Police Department, Council-Rivera surrendered to law enforcement peacefully. Council-Rivera was brought to the Pueblo Police Department station where he was interviewed by Detective Herrera with the Pueblo Police Department and Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Danny Garcia.
In this interview, Council-Rivera said he was an explorer youth, which is a program for youth to learn about law enforcement. Council-Rivera was also in the Air Force ROTC for four years, and he said that he did not know exactly what was wrong with himself but that he needed help.
Council-Rivera told his interviewees that he had been a part of behavioral programs his entire life, stating he has anger issues and ADHD. When asked if he was self-medicated, Council-Rivera told officers that he uses marijuana and alcohol, but it had been months since he last smoked or drank and that he was last on medication when he was 14-years-old.
When confronted about the reports of domestic violence, Council-Rivera told the detective and agent that he and Blanco had only been seriously dating for eight months. When questioned about the disturbance that prompted officers to be called to the scene, Council-Rivera stated he and Blanco had gotten into an argument over her posting negative things about him on Facebook. During that argument, Council-Rivera took Blanco's phone to delete the messages and that the two had gotten physical with each other.
Council-Rivera told his interviewees that the gun he shot at officers with was a 9mm Canik that he bought for his work as private security. When asked why he made the decision to shoot at officers Council-Rivera said, "Like I said, I don't know sir, I don't know."
The affidavit says Council-Rivera told law enforcement he respects police officers saying, "I don't know what happened, do you think I want to shoot a police officer?"
After shooting at the officers, Council-Rivera went ahead and went back into the residence where he allegedly contemplated killing himself. Council-Rivera told detectives that after he called his mother and explained what was happening, she told him that if he killed himself, she would do the same, with him being her only son, and told him to surrender peacefully to police.
In the affidavit, detectives say you can see Council-Rivera bring his gun to the screen door and push it before taking shots at the two responding officers and Blanco. Based on the initial investigation, law authorities believed that Council-River intentionally opened fire on officers and Blanco. Following the release of this affidavit, Council-Rivera is facing the following charges:
- three counts of criminal attempt 1st degree murder
- one count assault in the 1st degree
- two counts of criminal attempt assault in 1st degree
- one count of domestic violence
- one count of menacing with a deadly weapon
- one count of false imprisonment
- one count of assault in the 3rd degree
- one count of child abuse
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