AURORA | A parole officer was justified when she shot and wounded a man who pulled a gun on her last month at an Aurora apartment, Adams County prosecutors said Thursday.
In a letter to the Colorado Department of Corrections, District Attorney Dave Young said parole officer Laurie Strong acted appropriately when she shot Michael Meeks once in the abdomen after Meeks pulled out a loaded .45-caliber pistol when officers contacted him.
Meeks, 39, was hospitalized for several days after the incident and later charged with felony assault. He is being held in the Adams County Jail.
In the letter, Young said Strong and another parole officer went to the apartment on Emporia Street to check on another parolee who they suspected of violating the terms of his parole by having overnight guests.
When there, the two officers met that parolee as well as Meeks and another man. When the officers identified themselves to Meeks, a fight ensued and Meeks pulled a pistol from his waist, Young said.
Strong put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding until medical care arrived, Young said.
According to state records, Meeks has been arrested several times in Colorado on burglary, theft and assault charges. At the time of the shooting, he was wanted in Denver on burglary charges.