Police officer in Colorado mountain town shoots, kills suspected car thief

A police officer in Colorado's high country shot and killed a suspected car thief who allegedly tried to run away from the officer. It happened on Monday night in Silverthorne at the Summit Place Shopping Center.

Officials from the town of Silverthorne said in a news release that the suspect was armed. They said that police officers from Dillon and Silverthorne responded to the shopping center just before 8 p.m. after an emergency call about a car theft in progress. Moments later one of the officers ran after the suspect and then shot them. The news release doesn't indicate whether the suspect also was firing shots as they ran.

The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is now involved in the investigation. The person who was killed has not been identified.

As a result of the investigation authorities closed roads around the area. That included the Interstate 70 Exit 205 eastbound ramp and Highway 9. The closures lasted until early Tuesday morning.

A shooting involving a law enforcement officer isn't common in Summit County.

"It has been several years since Silverthorne has been in this situation," said Silverthorne Town Manager Ryan Hyland.

Bringing the CBI in to help with the investigation is "fairly standard," according to Hyland.

"Especially for a smaller department, and in the world we're in having transparency and a third party assist in the investigation is a best practice," he said.