Springs police shoot burglary suspect
Theman oncewas a person of interest in the Clements murder case.
A suspected burglar — once named a person of interest in the slaying of Colorado’s top prison official — was wounded late Wednesday by Colorado Springs police officers after two shootouts and a car chase.
Thomas James Guolee, 34, is being held at the El Paso County jail on several charges, including attempted first- degree murder of a police officer, attempted first- degree burglary and possession of a weapon by a previous offender.
Guolee was taken to a hospital and treated for a gunshot wound that was not life- threatening. He later was taken to the El Paso County jail and is being held on $ 1 million bail.
During the investigation of the 2013 slaying of state prisons chief Tom Clements, officials named Goulee as a person of interest, as part of the 211 Crewwhite supremacist prison gang.
Investigators at the time said that, while in prison, Goulee had talked to Evan Ebel before Clements was killed. Once out on parole, Ebel allegedly killed a pizza deliveryman then shot Clements when he went to the door of his home in Monument. Ebel later died in a shootout in Texas.
In a 2013 jail interviewwith The Post, Guolee denied any involvement with the prison gang or Clements’ killing.
Goulee was never charged in Clements’ death.
Adrienne Jacobsen, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections, told The Gazette on Thursday that Guolee eventually was released from parole on Nov. 18, 2014.
Authorities first confronted Guolee about 8: 45 p. m. on the 2400 block of Sierra SpringsDrive in the southeast part of the city, where officers were summoned on reports of a burglary.
Officials said Guolee fired several shots at the officers, who fired back.
“The suspect then got into his vehicle and a pursuit ensued,” police said.
Authorities say Guolee crashed near the intersection of Ruskin and Whittier drives. When he got out of his vehicle, officers again opened fire and wounded him.
The two officers involved in the shooting were not injured and have been placed on routine administrative leave, said the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating.
The sheriff’s office will investigate the shooting and present its findings to county prosecutors, whowill determine the legality of the use of force.
Colorado Springs police have been involved in several officerinvolved shootings since Halloween. A department spokeswoman toldTheDenver Post some young members of the force have quit under the stress of the encounters.