Fatal attack on cops
Deputy slain, 4 officers wounded in Colorado ambush
FIVE COLORADO lawmen were shot — one fatally — early Sunday in what police called an “ambush-type” attack.
The slain officer was identified as Zackari Parrish, 29, one of four Douglas County sheriff’s deputies who were shot responding to a call at the Copper Canyon Apartments in Highlands Ranch, 12 miles south of Denver, about 5:15 a.m.
A Castle Rock police officer was also shot and wounded.
About 45 minutes after the officers arrived, the gunman opened fire on the lawmen, then barricaded himself in the apartment, police said. He also shot two civilians and was later killed in a firefight with police.
The Douglas County coroner identified the gunman as 37-year-old Matthew Riehl.
Denver 7 News reported that Riehl (photo right) enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2009. He was honorably discharged in 2012, according to the TV station.
Cops were initially called to the apartment after a neighbor called 911 to complain the gunman and his roommate were making a lot of noise, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said.
The four deputies, who ranged in age from 28 to 32, were conducting interviews when the gunman began shooting.
“I do know that all of them were shot very, very quickly,” Spurlock said. “They all went down almost within seconds of each other. It was more of an ambush-type attack.”
The wounded deputies unsuccessfully tried to drag Parrish — who was unconscious after being hit — to safety, Spurlock said.
Parrish’s body was left inside the apartment with the shooter.
Law enforcement from the surrounding area converged on the scene.
The killer fired more than 100 rounds before a joint task force entered the apartment about 7:30 a.m. local time.
The wounded officers were all hospitalized in stable condition, the Douglas County sheriff said. Parrish’s body was later removed from the facility, and a police procession escorted it to the coroner’s office. Firefighters were seen standing atop their truck saluting the procession as it passed by.
The shooter’s roommate, who was unhurt, was cooperating with police.
Neither of the wounded civilians lived inside the apartment with the gunman, Spurlock said. Both were treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Parrish was a married father of two young children who joined the sheriff’s office seven months ago. He previously spent about two years on the force in nearby Castle Rock.
“Zack was a good kid,” Spurlock said. “His wife told me that he loved this job more than any job he ever had.”
Spurlock said it’ll likely take several days before investigators figure out what exactly happened.
The officers were wearing body cameras, he said, and are trained to assume all suspects are armed.
“This is Colorado,” he said. “Everybody has a gun.”