Chaotic scene: Residents of the apartment complex describe a morning filled with gunfire, the scream of a woman and heavily armed SWAT officers. »
Residents of a Highlands Ranch apartment complex where one Douglas County deputy was fatally shot and four other law enforcement officers were wounded described a Sunday morning filled with sporadic volleys of gunfire, the scream of a woman and the deployment of heavily armed SWAT officers.
Douglas County sheriff’s Deputy Zackari Parrish died in the shooting at the Copper Canyon Apartment complex.
“We heard over 60 shots fired in under a two-hour period,” said Jeff Clarke, 43.
Clarke and his wife, Amy McKenna, said their dog woke them up at 5:55 a.m., and shortly after that they heard gunshots.
Judging by the sound, Clarke said, the scattered bursts of gunfire that followed seemed to originate in different locations as if a chase were going on.
At one point, McKenna looked out a window and “saw a female officer running, just sheer panic on her face. I will never forget.”
Clarke said he saw an officer fire a shot when Clarke was outside, and he immediately popped back into the building. He began counting shots as quickly as he could and stopped when he reached 63.
“I counted 48 in succession,” Clarke said.
The couple also heard a woman scream during the incident.
“It was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed,” McKenna said.
Clarke said he grew up in a tough Philadelphia neighborhood.
“I grew up in northeast Philly, and I never heard anything like this,” he said.
Niurma Sanchez, 28, said she woke when she heard shooting. At first she thought the blasts were knocks on her door.
“Then I heard more noise, and I knew they were gunshots,” said Sanchez, a meteorologist with Telemundo.
Kirk Tsiaperas, 58, was meditating outside the complex about 6:30 a.m. when he saw SWAT officers armed with “very large” rifles who told him to get into his apartment.
At 6:40 a.m. he heard eight shots from a high-caliber rifle, followed by scattered firing that sounded as if the shooters were moving around the complex.
About 7:30 a.m. he heard a barrage of shots.
Ron Sands, who lives in a Copper Canyon building next to the shooting site, said he woke to what sounded like gunshots from an assault rifle and called 911. He peeped out windows and saw police officers swarming the area.
“It’s very amazing what they do,” Sands said of the officers.
After the first burst of fire that woke him, Sands said he heard one or two random shots at a time for about an hour. Then he heard the final shootout.
After the shooting, police questioned Sands to see what he knew about the resident who ambushed the deputies. But Sands said he would not even recognize his neighbor if he saw him.
“It’s such a transient place, and people come and go,” Sands said. “We never met him.”
Elected officials, including President Donald Trump and Gov. John Hickenlooper, reacted to the shooting.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the family and friends of Deputy Parrish,” Hickenlooper said. “We can only imagine the depth of grief they are experiencing.
Hickenlooper ordered flags be lowered to halfstaff statewide on all public buildings until sunset Tuesday in honor of Parrish.
“We also hope for a speedy recovery for the Douglas County deputies and the Castle Rock police officer injured in the incident, as well as the residents who also were affected,” Hickenlooper said. “The call to protect and serve too often leads to this ultimate sacrifice. We are grateful for the service of Deputy Parrish, his fellow deputies, and that of the Castle Rock police officer. We pray for their and their families’ strength and resolve in the days and months ahead.”