Officer hit motorcyclist with SUV before shooting him
A Littleton police news release on a fatal police shooting said that a motorcyclist had crashed prior to the shooting. A surveillance video, however, reveals that the officer involved in the incident hit the motorcyclist with a police SUV to bring the motorcycle to a stop.
The police shooting happened about 1:05 a.m. Feb. 2 near the intersection of South Bannock Street and West Powers Avenue, according to the Littleton Police Department. An initial statement by police was released at 3:22 a.m. that day.
“The information contained in that release, including that the motorcycle had crashed, was very preliminary information, obtained in the early hours of the scene, and was the most accurate information that LPD had at the time,” police said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Jeremy Jojola of 9News first reported the police depar tment ’ s omission Wednesday afternoon.
The original police news release on the shooting was updated at 5:01 a.m. Feb. 2, to include that the suspect had died. The scene was cleared by detectives and investigators at 7:23 a.m. Feb. 2, police said.
At 11:46 a.m. Feb 3, police identified the man who was shot as 41-year- old Stephen Poolson Jr.
The surveillance video was released by police Wednesday, almost a week after the shooting, after 9News had independently obtained a copy.
On the morning of the shooting, Poolson ran away from the downed motorcycle, and police said he pulled a gun on the officer, who then shot Poolson. In the video clip, Poolson runs out of the frame of the video clip, as does the officer who chased him.
The police shooting is being investigated by a team from the local district attorney’s office. The of ficer involved in the shooting, who has not been identified, is on paid administrative leave, per department policy.
Lit t leton pol ice on Wednesday said they couldn’t release further information because of the ongoing investigation.
“Upon completion of the investigation, the department does plan to release not only the Body Worn Camera footage, per Colorado law but also any additional video/audio/or pertinent information that will convey as much information as possible to the public,” the Wednesday police statement said.