Denver Police Officer shot multiple times through car window and survives; Suspect has since died

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) - An officer with the Denver Police Department (DPD) is recovering after being involved in an early morning shootout outside a hotel Wednesday.

According to the DPD, the shooting happened around 4 a.m. outside a hotel in the 2600 block of N. Zuni St. Investigators said the officer was on duty parked in his vehicle outside the front of the hotel. An unidentified male, his age has not been released, walked past the officer and into the hotel.

Moments later, the suspect walked back outside. The officer saw him pull a weapon out and that's when the suspect began shooting into the car through the passenger window.

DPD said the officer was struck multiple times before he was able to get out of the car through the driver's side door and take cover. At that point, the officer returned fire.

There was a brief exchange of gunfire between the officer and the suspect, with the officer continuing to shoot until the suspect went down.

At that point, the officer aired he'd been involved in a shooting.

When others arrived at the scene they found the injured officer and suspect outside the hotel. They were both taken to a Denver hospital.

Thanks to his bulletproof vest, the officer was spared any life-threatening injuries. In a press briefing at 6:37 a.m., DPD Chief Ron Thomas said the officer was in "significant discomfort," but he is awake, stable, and speaking to others with his family by his side.

Thomas said the officer's been with the department for at least ten years.

The suspect, however, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

An investigator from the DPD Homicide Unit, Colorado State Patrol, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation are handling this case under the oversight of an independent monitor. The results will be turned over to the Denver District Attorney.

Right now, it's unclear why the officer was targeted. Investigators are working on obtaining surveillance footage from the hotel and nearby buildings.

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