Police: Suspect dead after threatening officers with gun at east Colorado Springs apartment complex

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - A man is dead following a confrontation with police officers at an apartment complex early Monday morning.

The incident started just after 1:20 in the morning with a 911 call from The Grove apartments a few blocks south of The Citadel Mall.

“Our communications center received a phone call from a resident of the apartment complex that a male was knocking on her door and window and he was armed with a weapon,” said Lt. John Havenar with the Colorado Springs Police Department. “Officers arrived on scene at 1:36 a.m. and made contact with the male suspect.”

As the woman had reported, the suspect was armed, Havenar said.

“[Police] gave commands for him to drop the weapon. He was not compliant. At one point he did point the firearm at the officers, and the officers fired upon the suspect.”

Those tense seconds can be heard in dramatic video sent to 11 News by a viewer. Police repeatedly yell at the suspect to “drop the weapon” and “drop the gun” before several gunshots go off.” The video can be viewed at the bottom of this page; 11 News has chosen to blur the moment of the actual shooting.

After the suspect was down, the officers, and later first responders, attempted life-saving measures.

“Unfortunately, despite those medical efforts, the suspect died on scene,” Havenar confirmed.

No officers or civilians were injured. Three officers are on administrative leave, though Havenar wouldn’t confirm whether all three fired their guns.

Per state law, which requires an outside agency to investigate a law enforcement shooting, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will be the lead investigating agency.

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