5 Deputies shot Denver by gunman on New year’s eve, one fatally! Mathew Riehl fired 100 rounds at cops in ‘ambush attack’ before he was killed
Sheriff’s deputy killed by gunman who fired 100 ROUNDS in ‘ambush attack’ that left four other cops and two civilians injured in New Year’s Eve tragedy near Denver, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office reported
Army vet Matthew Riehl, 37, shot the five deputies and two civilians as the officers responded to a complaint at the apartment in Douglas County, on the last morning of 2017
Of the five deputies shot, one was fatally, Deputy Zackari Parrish, 29, was killed and is survived by his wife and two daughters
The other four deputies were named as Deputy Mike Doyle, 28, Deputy Taylor Davis, 30, Deputy Jeffrey Pelle, 32, and Officer Tom O’Donnell, 41
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said the officers are in stable condition
Deputies were responding to a verbal disturbance call between two roommates around 5.15am on Sunday at the Copper Canyon Apartments in Highlands Ranch
Fatality: Deputy Zackari Parrish was shot and killed while responding to a verbal disturbance at an apartment complex near Denver on New Year’s eve
The early Sunday morning incident claimed the life of 29-year-old Sheriff’s deputy Zackari Parrish.
Mathew Riehl shot 5 deputies, one fatally on New years’ Eve
Zackari Parrish an Army veteran, serving in Iraq in 2009, shot Parrish and four other deputies who weree responding to a verbal disturbance call between him and a roommate around 5.15am on Sunday at the Copper Canyon apartments in Denver, Colorado. Deputy Zackari Parrish had worked for the Douglas County sheriff’s office for seven months, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said at an afternoon news conference. He is survived by a wife and two young daughters. Describing his meeting with the deputy’s widow, Sheriff Tony Spurlock said, “When I sat with his wife and held her hand, I could see in her eyes that her life was over.” Two civilians, who the sheriff said were apparently in a neighboring apartment, were also shot. Their injuries were not life-threatening.Deputy Jeffery Pelle [left], one of those shot is the son of Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle. He was seriously injured, but expected to survive
Deputies were called back to the apartment by a neighbor at 5:14 a.m. about a disturbance, the sheriff said at the news conference.
One of the men in the apartment, described by the sheriff as a roommate, had left before officers arrived, returned and gave officers a key and permission to enter but left before the shooting, the statement said.
The other law enforcement officers have been identified as 28-year-old Deputy Mike Doyle, 30-year-old Deputy Taylor Davis, 32-year-old Deputy Jeffrey Pelle – all of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office – and 41-year-old Castle Rock Police Officer Tom O’Donnell.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock revealed at a press conference Saturday afternoon that all of the officers are in stable condition.
Victim: 41-year-old Castle Rock Police Officer Tom O’Donnell was shot but reported to be in stable condition
As outlined by the sheriff, what happened next was not clear.
The officers were talking to Mr. Riehl for about 30 minutes and at some point he barricaded himself in a bedroom – At 5:56 a.m., four officers reportedly, were hit by rounds fired from the bedroom. Three deputies were able to get to safety but Deputy Parrish was unable to retreat. The three wounded deputies could not immediately rescue him because of the amount of gunfire and their injuries, the statement said.
Deputy Parrish was shot multiple times. The other officers, who were hit in areas uncovered by their protective vests, were in stable condition, the sheriff said.
Officers with a SWAT team entered the apartment at about 7:30 a.m., and shots were exchanged between Mr. Riehl and officers, resulting in his death, the statement said. An officer from the Castle Rock Police Department was also shot and injured at that time.A motorcade was held for the fallen Colorado deputy Zackari Parrish after he was shot and killed while responding to a call on Sunday morning. A line of police cars left Littleton Adventist Hospital and traveled along Colorado State Highway 470 led by two officers on motorcycles.
Deputy Mike Doyle [photo], was one of the officers shot responding to a call that came in as a domestic dispute but was quickly revealed to be a verbal dispute between the shooter and his roommate 
Members of the fire dept salute [photo] as the motorcade escorting the body of fallen officer Zackari Parrish drives by .
Some stood and saluted as the hearse passed by while others held up American flags in honor of the deceased deputy. Parrish was one of five deputies who was shot while responding to a verbal disturbance call between two roommates around 5.15am on Sunday at the Copper Canyon Apartments on the 3400 block County Line Road between Colorado and University Boulevards.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that it was during the investigation at the building in Highlands Ranch that shots were fired with a rifle – nearly 100 rounds in an ambush-style attack.
They have been identified as 28-year-old Deputy Mike Doyle, 30-year-old Deputy Taylor Davis, 32-year-old Deputy Jeffrey Pelle – all of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office – and 41-year-old Castle Rock Police Officer Tom O’Donnell.
Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock revealed at a press conference Saturday afternoon that all of the officers are in stable condition.
The suspect who deputies said they were familiar with, was shot dead by a joint task force unit.
Two civilians were also shot by the suspect, but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
One of the injured law enforcement officers, deputy Jeff Pelle, [left], was in visible pain when his family saw him in the intensive care unit after he emerged from surgery, his sister, Shanna Jessen, said.
She explained that he had been shot under the armpit and the bullet had traveled down his torso to his hip. She said he was doing “remarkably well” after surgery.
Deputy Pelle who comes from a law enforcement family, his dad, Joe, is the longtime sheriff of Boulder County, Colo. Ms. Jessen said. Her brother had been in law enforcement for about seven years, and had been looking forward to celebrating his fifth wedding anniversary on Tuesday.
A procession of police vehicles escorts the hearse carrying the body of Parrish, who was killed on Sunday morning.
Deputy Mike Doyle was one of the five officers shot while responding a domestic disturbance call in Denver on Sunday
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said the deputies were responding to a domestic disturbance call around 5.15am Sunday at the Copper Canyon Apartments on the 3400 block County Line Road between Colorado and University Boulevards.
It was during the investigation at the Highlands Ranch building that shots were fired and several deputies were injured, the sheriff’s office tweeted [scene above].
Sheriff Spurlock said the officers responded to a call that came in as a domestic dispute but was quickly revealed to be a verbal dispute between the shooter and his roommate.
It was the second time deputies had gone to the apartment Sunday. There was another call at about 1:30am but there was no noise when deputies arrived.
After being let in, and confronting the suspect, who had barricaded himself in a bedroom, the officers were almost immediately met with fire. The sheriff said there is no timeline available yet as to who was shot first but that all of them were shot ‘very very quickly and all went down within seconds of other’.
The four were able to crawl to safety while a separate joint task force unit entered the apartment and eventually shot and killed the suspect.
The two civilians who were shot have not been identified but both were revealed to have non-life threatening injuries. The roommate, who was home, was not injured and the two civilians were not in the apartment.
Parrish is survived by his wife and two young daughters and a GoFundMe account has been set up to help support them. So far, $7,104 has been raised out of a $25,000 goal.
After being let in, and confronting the suspect, who had barricaded himself in a bedroom, the officers were almost immediately met with fire.
The sheriff said there is no timeline available yet as to who was shot first but that all of them were shot ‘very very quickly and all went down within seconds of other’.
The four injured officers, aside from Parrish, were able to crawl to safety while a separate joint task force unit entered the apartment and eventually shot and killed the suspect
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help support Parrish’s family (pictured with his two daughters in August 2016). So far, $7,104 has been raised out of a $25,000 goal.
According to WBPF, a sheriff’s office spokesperson confirmed that a SWAT team arrived at the home where the shooting occurred around 7.15am.
Video broadcast by Denver 7 showed an Arapahoe County Sheriff Bomb Squad truck at the scene.
The sheriff’s office earlier issued a ‘Code Red’ on Twitter, instructing residents in the area to shelter in place.
‘A Code Red was sent out regarding this incident. Any citizens in the affected area are instructed to shelter in place, avoid windows and stay away from exterior walls,’ read the post sent out around 6.15am local time.
Video showed a Arapahoe County Sheriff Bomb Squad truck outside the complex [photo]
Police activity at the shooting scene, Sunday morning at the Copper Canyon Apartments is an affluent neighborhood of Denver – described as some of the ‘friendliest apts in the area’, minutes away from shopping, fine dining and entertainment in Denver.
Highlands Ranch is an affluent neighborhood in Colorado with the median income for a household at $104,411, and the median income for a family at $113,944. Only about one percent of families in the area live below the poverty line.
The Copper Canyon Apartments website describes its homes as some of the ‘friendliest apartments in Highlands Ranch,’ minutes away from shopping, dining and entertainment in Denver.
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