A Colorado Springs officer fired during a late-night encounter after police say a woman climbed into a patrol vehicle and reached for a secured duty shotgun. The Colorado Springs officer-involved shooting happened around 10 p.m. Saturday in the 1200 block of Delaware Drive, a neighborhood a few blocks north of the Citadel Mall.
Colorado Springs Police Department officials said officers were dispatched on reports of a man chasing a woman, and that callers told police they saw one of the people involved carrying a rifle. When officers arrived, they contacted a woman who matched the description of the female involved in the disturbance. Police said she was armed with a knife, began running from officers, and refused commands to stop.
According to police, officers chased the woman as she fled. During that pursuit, police said she threw the knife, then climbed into a police cruiser. Officers ordered her to get out, but she refused, police said.
With the woman inside the cruiser and not complying, officers attempted to remove her from the vehicle.
As officers were trying to pull her from the car, she reached for the duty shotgun stored in the vehicle. At that point, an officer fired at least one round, striking the woman.
Field Lessons are offered strictly as general, industry-standard reminders drawn from common safety practices and typical policy considerations. They are not based on any inside knowledge of this specific incident, do not presume what actions were taken, and should not be interpreted as commentary on the decisions made at the scene.
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Lock down the cruiser early: If a suspect is moving toward an open door, treat the patrol car like an evidence locker full of weapons and tools, and deny access fast.
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Weapon security checks: Make in-car long-gun retention checks part of roll-call habits, including mounts, locks, and placements that reduce a suspect’s reach.
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Two-officer approach to vehicle extraction: When feasible, use roles, one officer controlling hands and hips, another controlling the door and leverage, to reduce the chance of a reach to mounted weapons.
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Control the hands, then everything else: Whether it’s a knife, a waistband, or a mounted shotgun, hands are the precursor of violence; prioritize controlling, pinning, and isolating them.
Dr. Travis Yates has pioneered a behavioral risk framework to help officers and leaders identify, assess, and articulate risk in rapidly evolving, uncertain situations. Find out more about the FOCUS Behavioral Risk Framework.
