Fort Collins Police Service Statement Re: William Hayes Shooting
Fort Collins Police Service is releasing the body-worn camera footage from an officer-involved shooting in November 2023, which led to loss of life. The footage is preceded by a message from Chief Swoboda and audio from one of the 911 calls for service.
Fort Collins police officer Tyler Reichle’s actions in fatally shooting William Hayes, 28, near Colorado State University last month have been deemed legally justified by 8th Judicial District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin.
McLaughlin’s decision, released Friday, follows a thorough review of the multi-agency Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) investigation, which included body camera footage from Officer Reichle. According to McLaughlin, the evidence gathered showed that Officer Reichle acted in self-defense when he used deadly force against Hayes.
The incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 16 outside Alley Cat Coffee House, where reports of a man behaving aggressively and using racial slurs had been made to the Fort Collins police. Witnesses reported that the individual, later identified as Hayes, was armed with a hatchet or axe and had used pepper spray on someone else.
Officer Reichle arrived at the scene and encountered Hayes in the parking lot, holding a hatchet and a large pepper spray canister. Despite repeated commands to drop the items and surrender, Hayes refused to comply.
Reichle transitioned from his gun to a Taser and warned Hayes of its imminent use, but Hayes continued to resist. After being tased and momentarily incapacitated, Hayes quickly got up and charged toward Reichle with the pepper spray canister pointed at him from a distance of about 15 feet.
In the brief moments between being tased and charging at Reichle, Hayes was shot four times by Reichle. Even after sustaining gunshot wounds, Hayes persisted in pursuing Reichle down an alley for approximately 10 seconds before finally kneeling to the ground due to the effects of his injuries.
Throughout the encounter, Reichle and other officers repeatedly instructed Hayes to comply and lie on the ground, offering assistance if he cooperated. Eventually, Hayes complied and received medical attention from officers until emergency medical crews arrived at the scene.