Suspect killed after ‘ambushing’ Colorado State Trooper Tye Simcox on Highway 36.
A Colorado State Patrol trooper was shot while completing reports in a protected highway median in Westminster on Saturday but managed to return fire, ultimately killing the suspect, officials said.
Trooper Tye Simcox, a 16-year veteran, was identified as the injured officer and has since been released from the hospital.
The incident occurred around 1:18 p.m. on Highway 36 eastbound, west of Federal Boulevard. Trooper Simcox was in his marked patrol car, parked between two concrete barriers, when a driver in a black Chevrolet pickup truck slowed down and opened fire with a semi-automatic handgun, striking Simcox in the arm.
After pulling over on the shoulder, the suspect exited his vehicle and fired multiple rounds at the patrol car’s windshield. Trooper Simcox then exited his vehicle, deployed his issued rifle, and returned fire, fatally striking the suspect.
Simcox applied a tourniquet to his arm before another trooper arrived. He was transported to Denver Health Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and the suspect has not yet been identified.
Colorado State Patrol Col. Matthew Packard praised Simcox’s actions, stating, “We came out on top today.”
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