CENTENNIAL, Colo. – A man was shot and killed by Arapahoe County deputies early Saturday morning after officials said the person struck a deputy with a metal pole.
According to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, a resident just after 6 a.m. in the 4700 block of East Caley Place called 911 to report a person “acting very suspiciously” in a neighbor’s backyard.
Once deputies arrived, they said they saw an adult man with a “very long metal pole,” according to Ginger Delgado, public information officer with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office.
“According to the preliminary investigation, the man advanced toward deputies while holding the pole and struck one of our deputies. Our deputies first attempted using less lethal force, including a taser, but those efforts were unsuccessful, and two deputies discharged their firearms, striking the man,” said Delgado during a press briefing.
The man was pronounced dead by paramedics following aid rendered by deputies on the scene, said Delgado, who added that one deputy suffered minor injuries during the pole attack.
Both deputies, one who has been with the department for six years and the other 13, were both placed on paid administrative leave, as is policy.
The investigation is ongoing, and the Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s identity following notification of next of kin.
