Colorado State Patrol releases video of Westminster police officer ambush, ‘no indication’ of international gang connections

A new video released Monday by the Colorado State Patrol shows the moments immediately after a police officer was attacked by a gunman on September 7.

Investigators are still unclear why 23-year-old Victor Anthony De Santiago shot Corporal Tye Simcox that Saturday afternoon. Simcox was parked on the median of Highway 36 in Westminster when De Santiago drove toward him in a pickup truck, slowed down, and shot the officer multiple times with a pistol.

Simcox suffered a gunshot wound to his right arm, but immediately returned fire during a brief shootout with De Santiago, who was hit and died at the scene.

Footage compiled by CSP from several officer-worn body cameras shows that after shooting De Santiago, Simcox called for backup and was approached by an off-duty officer and another bystander who had witnessed the shooting. Both individuals offered to help the officer and said they had firearms, but Simcox told him not to draw them.

Another CSP officer and officers from the Westminster Police Department arrived shortly afterward and provided medical attention to Simcox before he was transported to the hospital. These officers also checked De Santiago at the scene.

In a press conference on Monday, CSP chief Matthew Packard called the attack an “ambush” and said Simcox appeared to be a “target of opportunity.”

Packard reiterated several times that there was no evidence that De Santiago was connected to international gangs, which has been the subject of speculation on several conservative social media accounts.

“I can say he was active in gangs in his past, but I can't say if he was currently associated with or involved in a gang. But it was a local gang,” Packard said, declining to say which gang it was.

De Santiago, who was born in California and lived in Thornton, had an extensive criminal record. In 2015, he pleaded guilty in Weld County court to threatening with a real or imitation weapon. He also had a previous conviction for drug possession and faced numerous driving charges.

The CSP will examine how it can prevent similar attacks in the future, but Packard said he isn't sure what could have prevented the attack on Simcox. Packard said Simcox and other CSP officers regularly parked at the spot on Highway 36 because it was surrounded by two concrete barricades that provided protection on either side.

In a statement released Monday, Simcox said: “I am extremely lucky to be alive and am very grateful for everyone's support and prayers.”