Denver Police Chief Gets Emotional After Detective Is Shot While Trying To Stop Robber
DENVER (CBS4) - Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen says incidents like the one on Wednesday morning in which an off-duty Denver detective was shot and injured at a gas station take a toll on his department.
"I know this impacts every member of this department who wears this badge as well as every family members who supports our department. It's tough," Pazen told reporters with tears in his eyes in a news conference at Denver Health.
The shooting happened in Arvada and the detective, a 14-year veteran with the Denver Police Department, was taken to the hospital in Denver. That officer, whose name has not been released, is being treated for injuries to both arms. He sustained the wounds when he tried to intervene as a robbery was taking place at a Circle K in Arvada. The robber got away and a major search was launched.
"Somebody that is willing to fire on a police officer is a danger to this community, and we want to make sure this individual is apprehended as quickly as possible and as safely as possible," Pazen said.
A blue alert was issued by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation after the crime, which is an alert issued "to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty."
So far the shooter hasn't been found. He is described as being white with a medium build and he was last seen wearing a tan jacket and black hat at 8:45 a.m. at the gas station, which is located at West 80th Avenue and Kipling Street. The vehicle he escaped in was described as being a silver Chevrolet Equinox with body damage and no license plates.