Denver cops collectively shot 36 bullets in lower than 5 seconds at an armed man who held two 7-Eleven workers hostage this month, police introduced Friday.
Three officers fired handguns, and one officer discharged a department-approved rifle, Cmdr. Matt Clark mentioned at a Denver Police Division information convention Friday. Neither of the staff was injured.
Officers first responded to the 7-Eleven at 450 North Federal Boulevard after 4 clients known as in to report a stabbing and theft in progress about 6:50 p.m. March 1, Clark mentioned.
When officers arrived, the suspect — 43-year-old Christopher Cauch — had barricaded himself and two 7-Eleven workers in a locked workplace behind the gross sales counter.
“The officers, from outdoors of the workplace, may hear commotion occurring inside and what seemed like an escalating disturbance,” Clark mentioned. “The officer door had a small, sq. window within the heart of it and thru that door an officer was in a position to see inside and believed he noticed the offender … holding a knife to one of many workers.”
After makes an attempt to speak with Cauch, officers tried to interrupt by means of the door and located Cauch had blocked it from the within utilizing a desk and a pc, Clark acknowledged.
The 4 have been in a position to push open the door to the purpose the place they may partially see contained in the room. After they noticed Cauch holding a pointy object to 1 worker’s neck and heard him threatening to stab the worker, all 4 officers concurrently opened hearth, Clark mentioned.
Cauch dropped the thing — a 6-inch metallic shaft used to tug out nails — and fell backward right into a chair whereas each workers ran from the workplace and have been escorted out of the shop by officers, Clark mentioned.
Paramedics took Cauch to Denver Well being, the place he died from his accidents.
Each workers have been examined by paramedics on the scene — one had a minor neck harm, and the opposite was unhurt, Clark acknowledged. Neither was taken to a hospital.
In keeping with Clark, Cauch carjacked a car in Lakewood simply two hours earlier than barging into the 7-Eleven. Lakewood police briefly pursued Cauch however known as off the chase due to his reckless driving.
At 6:48 p.m., Cauch was noticed rushing westbound down Fifth Avenue in Denver earlier than turning into the 7-Eleven car parking zone and coming into the shop, Clark mentioned.
Cauch then jumped the counter and compelled the worker on the register into the again workplace the place one other worker was working, Clark acknowledged.
The 4 officers who fired pictures are on modified obligation standing pending the end result of the investigation.
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