An officer with the Lakewood Police Department in Colorado is dead and three other cops and a bystander are injured after a suspect, who is also dead, opened fire on a bus.
The department, just southwest of Denver, responded to a report of a suspicious person at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
The person, suspected of involvement in a hit-and-run earlier in the day, was getting on board a Regional Transportation District bus, the police said on social media.
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The Lakewood officers boarded the bus and made contact with the suspect, whom police did not name. The suspect started shooting, striking four officers and the bystander and was in turn killed when the police returned fire.
Witness Teddy O’Brien, who was driving parallel with the bus, told Denver’s KUSA that only one or two other people were on the bus besides the driver and that he heard 30 to 40 gunshots.
The police “hopped on and then shots instantly started ringing from there. I instantly just saw shots firing, and I ducked down, because you know I’m freaking out at that point,” Mr. O’Brien said.
The four officers were hospitalized with injuries ranging from serious to critical, and one of them died at the hospital. The department did not name the deceased officer and said that the extent of the bystander’s injuries is unknown.
The three surviving officers are in stable condition.
“Words cannot express the profound sorrow our department and community feel tonight over the loss of our fallen hero, who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to Lakewood. Our hearts are heavy, and we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their loved ones, lifting them up in unwavering support, love and prayer during this unimaginable time,” the department said on social media.
In a statement online, the Regional Transportation District, which services the Denver area, said it “is deeply concerned by the shooting that occurred this evening aboard an RTD-contracted operated bus. … Our thoughts are with those affected directly by this incident.”
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