PUEBLO — The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office announced Saturday morning that the pursuit of a carjacking suspect in Pueblo has ended with a fatal officer-involved shooting.
No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.
According to the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the Pueblo Youth Center on W. 17th Street Saturday morning around 6:30 after a woman reported that a man stole her car at gunpoint. The Pueblo Youth Center is a state institution and thus law enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff's Office.
While the carjacking was being investigated, a sheriff's deputy saw a vehicle that matched the stolen vehicle's description on 4th Street and attempted to make a traffic stop. A brief pursuit was initiated but was ended as the suspect was driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed, the Sheriff's Office said.
A short time later, Pueblo Police officers and sheriff's deputies located the vehicle in an alley between Colorado Ave. and Quincy Street, where it had crashed into a light pole.
The Sheriff's Office said the suspect, who was seen carrying a gun, got out of the vehicle and began running down the alley. Deputies and officers pursued.
The suspect then advanced toward deputies with a gun in his hand and shots were fired by a deputy, according to the Sheriff's Office. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Sheriff's Office said the deputy has been placed on administrative leave and will not be identified at this time. The identity of the suspect is not being released at this time either.
The 10th Judicial District Critical Incident team was activated and is conducting the incident investigation. The CIT includes members of the Pueblo Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, the Pueblo County District Attorney’s Office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office. The Pueblo Police Department is the lead investigative agency for this incident.
