Video: Gunman in shootout with Colorado police at cemetery after accident

From Austin Fleskes

source Loveland Reporter-Herald, Colorado.

The Fort Collins man who was shot by police in a shootout following a rollover crash on Sunday has died and has been identified while the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

At approximately 12:40 p.m. on Sunday (July 22), Fort Collins police responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash at the corner of Mountain and Bryan Avenues, according to a news release from the 8th District Attorney's Office. A police sergeant and patrol officer found the adult male driver – later identified by the Larimer County Coroner as 42-year-old Clayton Pierce of Fort Collins – outside the involved vehicle and armed with a weapon.

During a brief altercation, Pierce allegedly exchanged gunfire with police, hitting an officer and then running into nearby Grandview Cemetery, the press release said.

Additional police from FCPS and surrounding agencies responded and began setting up a perimeter around the area. Officers eventually located the man in the cemetery, where “additional shots were fired and the suspect fell to the ground,” the release said.

Officers then approached Pierce in an armored vehicle and administered first aid until emergency medical services arrived and transported him to a nearby hospital. He eventually succumbed to his injuries after being transported.

Investigators believe Pierce was the only person in the car at the time of the accident. However, witnesses reported seeing two dogs in the car that ran away. One was found, but the other, a pit bull terrier, is missing.

The injured officer, who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after the incident, has since been released and is expected to recover, the release said. No injuries were reported from the incident.

Following the incident, the District Attorney's Office activated its Critical Incident Response Team, with the Larimer County Sheriff's Office leading the investigation. CIRT investigators determined the suspect was armed with multiple firearms, the release said.

Grandview Cemetery and surrounding streets were closed for approximately 11 hours while officers searched the scene and conducted an investigation. Several parked cars and a patrol car were also damaged by gunfire during the incident.

The release said the CIRT investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about Pierce, witnesses to the incident or residents with surveillance video that captured the accident or shooting is asked to call Investigator Bryce Hinrichs at 970-498-5542. Those wishing to remain anonymous can also contact Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868.

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