After a gunman opened fire in suburban Denver Sunday morning over a domestic dispute, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is reporting five officers were shot, leaving one dead and wounding four others.
In a press conference Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Tony Spurlock reported that all the officers were wearing vests, but were hit outside covered areas within seconds of one another.
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Spurlock identified the officer shot as Deputy Zackari Parrish, 29, who worked with the department for seven months, and with the Castle Rock PD for more than two years. He is survived by his wife and two children.
.@SheriffSpurlock names29-year-old Zackari Parrish, deputy and former CRPD officer killed in #CopperCanyonOIS. Our hearts our heavy today as we mourn the loss of one of our brothers. Thank you all for your support. https://t.co/kJKCYaZ7Uq pic.twitter.com/RmdB9CI5Tg
— DC Sheriff (@dcsheriff) December 31, 2017
“He was doing his job and doing his job well,” Spurlock said. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Zachary.”
Spurlock has talked to Parrish’s widow, saying, “I could see in her eyes, her life was over.” He adds that Parrish had “no ability to survive” as he was struck multiple times.
“Good kid, smiling kid,” he said. “Eager to work, eager to serve.”
The sheriff shares that the bodycam footage should shed further light on the situation.
The injured officers include Deputy Mike Doyle, 28, stable condition at local hospital, Deputy Taylor Davis, 30, stable condition at local hospital, Jeffrey Pelle, 32, who just out of surgery and is in stable condition; and Officer Tom O’Donnell, 41, of the Castle Rock PD, who is in stable condition.
He adds that two civilians were also shot with non-life threatening injuries, and were possibly residents in the neighboring apartments.
Photo credit: Twitter / @6ABC
