A Fort Lupton police officer and a suspect are in critical condition after a shooting Monday night.
Police responded about 10:40 p.m. Monday to a call for service for an armed suspect in the area of Ponderosa Place, according to a news release from the 19th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team. The suspect was armed with a gun and trying to contact a resident in the area.
Police arrived in the 200 block of Ponderosa Place, where they began approaching the residence. The suspect began firing at police, according to the release. A Fort Lupton police officer was shot, and Fort Lupton police returned fire, injuring the lone suspect.
The officer and suspect were taken by helicopter to local hospitals, where they’re in critical condition, according to the release.
The 19th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team will investigate the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to contact Greeley Police Cmdr. Roy Smith at (970) 371-3706 or Sgt. Craig Bollig at (970) 371-3932.
Monday night’s shooting is the second officer-involved shooting so far this year in Fort Lupton. Zachary Helbig, a Fort Lupton police officer currently on administrative leave, shot and killed 46-year-old Fort Lupton resident Shawn Joseph Billinger in January.
According to an indictment against Helbig, Billinger rapidly walked toward Officer Helbig yelling, “kill me,” after a police chase. Billinger had nothing in his hands.
The Weld County jury indicted Helbig, who faces a manslaughter charge. A five-day jury trial in that case begins Feb. 10, 2020.