Colorado suspect killed after shooting police officer linked to unsolved 2019 murder

A suspect killed in the shooting of a police officer this summer is now linked to an unsolved 2019 murder in the state.

A decision letter from the Larimer County District Attorney on Friday justified the use of force by four officers in the death of the suspect Clayton Pierce42. In an update, Fort Collins police also announced that investigators had found sufficient evidence to prove Pierce was responsible for the killing of Joseph “Sonny” Brigman, 62, who was found dead in his Fort Collins home in 2019.

According to the Fort Collins Police Department press release, investigators had already made every effort to establish sufficient suspicion for charges in 2019 when Brigman's death was ruled a homicide.

Then, in 2023, Brigman's case was reopened, and then Pierce was implicated and placed under suspicion of first-degree murder.

Before charges were filed with the District Attorney's Office, Fort Collins officers were called to a rollover accident near Grandview Cemetery on July 21 of this year. When police arrived, Pierce had a gun and fired at emergency responders, injuring one officer. Officers fired back, hitting Pierce, who died from his injuries. The injured officer was expected to recover at the time of the shooting.

Subsequently, following Pierce's death on August 20, the District Attorney's Office filed formal charges against him for Brigman's murder.