WELD COUNTY, Colo. – During National Police Week a Colorado judge sent a message to his community by sentencing a 21-year-old man to 96 years in prison for shooting a police sergeant in the face and trying to shoot another during an ambush in December 2019.
Matthew Cotter was sentenced by Judge Vincente Vigil to nearly a century in prison Thursday morning. The defendant was convicted in February of shooting Fort Lupton Police Sgt. Christopher Pelton in the face and attempting to shoot Sgt. Jeremy Sagner, Law&Crime reported.
Police were responding to a call Dec. 2, 2019, regarding an armed man outside the residence who had reportedly texted his ex-girlfriend: “It’s too late.” The caller said Cotter threatened violence against the woman and claimed he would take his own life, according to 9 News.
Harrowing bodycam footage captured the moment that gunfire erupted and Sgt. Pelton was hit in the face. He can be seen and heard struggling on the ground.
However, Cotter wasn’t finished. He continued to fire, nearly hitting Sgt. Sagner, who returned fire, striking the gunman.
As police approached the downed suspect, another officer asked whether he possessed additional firearms.
“No, that’s the only one,” Cotter responded.
Blood can be seen in the snow as police roll him over and take him into custody.
As a result of the shooting, Sgt. Pelton’s jaw was shattered, and he spent more than a week in an intensive care unit, 9 News reported.
Cotter survived the shooting and told detectives that he saw officers arrive through a slat in the fence. He “admitted shooting three or four rounds from his handgun at an officer,” the news outlet reported, citing the affidavit.
“I shot, he dropped, they shot, I dropped,” Cotter said, according to the document.
The Weld County District Attorney’s Office said Cotter was convicted in February on 14 charges:
- Four counts of attempted first-degree murder
- One count attempted first-degree assault
- One count of attempted assault
- Six counts crime of violence
- One count reckless endangerment
- One count prohibited use of a weapon
Both police sergeants spoke at Cotter’s sentencing about the impact of his crime.
“I’m very fortunate that this was an attempted-murder case and not a murder case,” Sgt. Pelton said, according to the DA’s office press release on the proceedings. “The moment that bullet went through my head, I wasn’t even there going after the defendant. I was there to protect the scene. If someone was going to get shot that day, I’m glad it was me and not one of my young officers.”
“The victimization doesn’t stop with me,” he added. “It affects my whole family.”
Sgt. Sagner noted that Cotter deserved nothing less than the maximum punishment.
“It was not an accident,” he said. “He knew what he was doing. I believe Mr. Cotter is where he needs to be.”
“I heard the shots, saw the officer fall, heard just the most horrible gurgle that man omitted. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the gurgle of someone dying. It’s a shock to me that Sgt. Pelton is still alive.”
– Judge Vincente Vigil
Judge Vigil acknowledged how difficult it was to watch the video of Pelton getting shot. He appeared to be particularly affected by the “horrible” gurgling noise the sergeant made and believed a message needed to be sent, according to Law&Crime.
“This is really a unique situation,” Judge Vigil said, according to the DA’s office. “While I was not there, I saw the videos. I heard the shots, saw the officer fall, heard just the most horrible gurgle that man omitted. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the gurgle of someone dying. It’s a shock to me that Sgt. Pelton is still alive. It’s only by luck that I even have sentence discretion here and that I’m not forced to impose a life without parole sentence today. I cannot send a message to the community that I love and have been a part of my whole life that this was acceptable behavior.”
