COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed on Monday, the third officer to be gunned down in the line of duty in the state in the past five weeks.
El Paso County Deputy Micah Flick, 34, was killed while he and other officers were investigating a stolen vehicle in Colorado Springs, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Denver, authorities said.
Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey said the officers were struggling with the male suspect when shots were fired.
Two other deputies, a Colorado Springs police officer and a bystander were also shot, authorities said. All were hospitalized, but the extent of their injuries wasn’t immediately released.
The lone suspect was also killed, authorities said.
The names of the injured officers, the bystander and the suspect were not immediately released.
Jason Adams, 52, who lives nearby, told the Colorado Springs Gazette he heard gunshots and ran to the scene, which he described as a “war zone.”
Television coverage showed dozens of emergency vehicles responding to the scene.
Adams said he saw emergency responders tending to three people lying on the ground, one of whom appeared to have bullet wounds in the side of his torso.
A police command post remained on the scene hours after the shooting, along with about a dozen police cars and multiple officers.
Sheriff Bill Elder said Flick, who was killed on his 11th anniversary with the department, is survived by his wife and 7-year-old twins.
“Deputy Flick was an outstanding member of my agency and he will be missed,” Elder said.
Carey said it was a tough day for all law-enforcement agencies.
“Tonight there is no distinction between our uniforms. State Patrol, sheriff’s office and the Colorado Springs Police Department, our hearts are all broken,” he said.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said the deadly violence against officers is having a grave impact on the state.
“We will once more come together to provide sympathy and strength for the deputy’s loved ones and pray for the recovery of those injured,” he said in a written statement. “However, we also must come together and say enough is enough. We want each officer, every deputy, to know we are grateful for their service.”
Hickenlooper ordered flags flown at half-staff in Flick’s honor.
Adams County Deputy Heath Gumm was killed Jan. 24 and Douglas County sheriff’s Deputy Zackari Parrish was killed on New Year’s Eve.
Gumm, 31, was shot while chasing a suspect. Parrish, 29, was shot in suburban Denver by a man with a history of mental health issues.
Monday’s shooting occurred in a neighborhood of single-family homes, apartments and retail stores just east of downtown Colorado Springs, a city of about 465,000.
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This story has been corrected to show Douglas County Deputy Zackari Parrish was killed New Year’s Eve, not New Year’s Day.
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Foody reported from Denver.
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