AURORA | Aurora police say an off-duty Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy in plain clothes was critically injured Tuesday night, Jan. 26, as he was shot twice in the abdomen while being robbed at gunpoint by two juveniles in an apartment parking lot near Rangeview High School.
As of Wednesday morning, the Jefferson County sheriff’s office said the condition of the deputy, whose name has not been released, had been upgraded to stable.
“Though he was shot several times & is in ICU, his prognosis for recovery is good & for that we are incredibly grateful,” the sheriff’s office said in a tweet.
During the robbery, the deputy shot one of the two robbers in the leg, and that juvenile male was apprehended by police and suffered non-life threatening injuries, police said. The other suspect ran off, and police began a manhunt for him in the area near Vassar Elementary School.
As of early Wednesday morning, police said the search was over after setting a perimeter along East Iliff Avenue, South Telluride Street, East Vassar Place and Salida along Toll Gate Creek greenbelt. The suspect remains at large.
No cars were allowed into the area inside the perimeter, and all cars leaving the area were being searched, police said.
The shooting was reported about 7:30 p.m. at 17396 E. Adriatic Drive. Denver police and deputies with the Arapahoe and Jefferson county sheriff’s offices assisted Aurora police with their search.
Aurora Sentinel News Partner 7News reported that several people were nearby when the shooting occurred. Witness Mike Marshall tended to the deputy as someone else called 911, according to 7News.
“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.
The at-large suspect was described as a black male wearing a brown jacket, police said.
Rangeview High School was placed on lockdown during a sporting event, and a reverse 911 call was issued to residents in the area notifying them of the police activity. The lockdown was lifted after 8:30 p.m.
“We called a timeout at 4 minutes so (we) could announce it to the crowd,” said an assistant basketball coach who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak about the incident. “We held the crowd about 15 minutes after the game and with a good police presence out front. Nobody could enter the building. It was pretty calm.”
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call Detective Matt Ingui at 303-739-6067 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters who call Crime Stoppers and remain anonymous can be eligible for $2,000 reward.