WESTMINSTER, CO – A Colorado State Patrol (CSP) trooper found himself under a hail of bullets on U.S. 36 near Federal Boulevard in Westminster in what has been described by police as a “targeted” shooting. The unprovoked attack happened around 1 p.m. on Saturday while the trooper was engaged in paperwork in the median.
The assailant let loose a barrage of bullets from an unidentified vehicle, sustaining injuries to the trooper, who was subsequently transported to the hospital. According to CSP officials, the officer has since been discharged and is in stable condition.
Identified as Cpl. Tye Simcox, the trooper sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the assault. The aftermath of the shooting left a grim sight with numerous law enforcement officials on the scene and a body, presumed to be the attacker, covered with a tarp near a Chevrolet pickup truck.
In ensuing events, as elaborated by Col. Matthew Packard, chief of CSP, Simcox was parked in his clearly marked patrol car between concrete barriers when a black Chevrolet pickup truck proceeded to fire multiple rounds from a handgun into his vehicle. The assailant then pulled over, exited his vehicle, and continued firing. In self-defense, Simcox returned the fire, leading to the fatal ending of the shooter.
Post-shooting, Simcox applied a tourniquet to his arm wound and called for backup. Reflecting on the heroics of the trooper, Packard lauded Simcox’s execution of training in neutralizing the threat and saving his own life.
The investigation of the shooting is currently ongoing.