WARNING: The body-worn camera video within CSPD’s Significant Event Briefing contains graphic footage that may be disturbing to some viewers. Discretion is advised.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) has released the body-worn camera footage along with relevant information on the Dec. 16 officer-involved shooting that resulted in the arrest of three teens, one of whom was shot during the incident.
According to CSPD, just after 4 a.m. on Dec. 16, police officers and deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) located a car in the 5900 block of Constitution Avenue, which had been reported stolen earlier in the morning. The stolen car was suspected to have been used in two separate attempted carjackings, and during one of the carjacking attempts, a suspect shot at the victims, hitting the car as it drove away. Thankfully, no one was injured in that attempt.
Once the stolen car was located, a deputy with EPSO tried to contact the suspects as the car was stopped in the drive-thru of a business, but the car drove away. A nearby CSPD patrol car stopped the car by using a PIT maneuver, and once the car was stopped, the driver, a 15-year-old boy, ran from the scene but was taken into custody without incident.
CSPD said the 16-year-old boy in the front passenger seat got out with a handgun, and an officer can be heard in accompanying body-worn camera footage calling out “gun!”
CSPD said officers and deputies ordered the suspect to show his hands, and when the suspect refused to comply, instead raising the handgun at a nearby EPSO deputy, CSPD Officer Joshua Singels fired twice, hitting the suspect. The officers on scene provided immediate medical attention to the suspect after taking him into custody, which can also be seen on body-worn camera footage.
The handgun was found near the suspect after the incident, CSPD said.
Courtesy: Colorado Springs Police Department
The suspect who was shot was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries, and EPSO reported on Dec. 19 that he was stable. He was arrested on one count of First Degree Assault on a Peace Officer, as well as multiple other charges from the violent crimes committed before this incident, including three counts of Attempted First Degree Murder, two counts of Attempted Aggravated Robbery, and one count of Second Degree Motor Vehicle Theft.
The 15-year-old driver of the stolen car and the 16-year-old girl in the back seat were arrested on three counts of Attempted First Degree Murder, two counts of Attempted Aggravated Robbery, and one count of Second Degree Motor Vehicle Theft in connection to the attempted carjackings.
Due to all three suspects’ ages, their identities are not being released. Officer Singels, the officer who fired his weapon, was assigned as a patrol officer with the Stetson Hills Division and has been employed by CSPD for two years.
EPSO is investigating the shooting, and once completed, the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office will determine whether the officer’s use of force complied with Colorado law.
