One person dies in standoff with Elbert County Sheriff's Office deputies Wednesday night

A standoff in Elbert County, Colorado, resulted in one death on Wednesday evening around 6:20 p.m. The incident began when the Douglas Regional Dispatch Center received a 911 call regarding a domestic dispute near County Road 77. Upon arrival, deputies attempted to communicate with a suspect who was armed with a handgun inside a fifth wheel trailer.

Despite multiple requests for the suspect to exit the trailer without the weapon, he refused to comply. To de-escalate the situation, deputies utilized less lethal projectiles in an attempt to persuade him to surrender. The suspect subsequently expressed discomfort due to back pain resulting from this encounter. However, after he retreated further inside the trailer, deputies resorted to firing pepper ball rounds through a window.

The suspect reacted by firing two shots from within the trailer, prompting three deputies to return fire. Negotiation efforts continued for an hour, but the suspect remained unresponsive. When two drones were deployed for visual assessment, they confirmed that the suspect was not moving inside the trailer.

Following this, Elbert County SWAT team members entered the trailer and confirmed the suspect's death. Fortunately, no deputies were injured during the exchange of gunfire. Investigations are ongoing, with the deputies involved placed on paid administrative leave as per standard protocol.

The 23rd Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team is handling the investigation into the shooting, and the situation has drawn attention to the challenges law enforcement faces in high-stress scenarios.