A Colorado police officer mistakenly shot and killed a hero after the individual stopped a gunman intent on killing police officers, according to the Denver Post.
According to Arvada police, officers received a call from the brother of Ronald Troyke, 59 who asked for a welfare check because his sibling was going to “do something crazy.” Arvada police Officer Gordon Beesley, 51 and an unnamed officer went to the home but were unable to find Troyke.
Bessley later responded to a call about a “suspicious person” in Arvada’s Olde Square that turned out to be Troyke who approached a group of teenagers, make weird noises and showed them a condom.
Video from a security camera released by police shows Troyke getting out of his pickup truck with a 12-gauge semiautomatic shotgun and approaching Beesley from behind before shooting him twice, killing him.
After he killed Beesley, police said, Troyke shot out the windows of a patrol car and fired shots in the air. He then returned to his truck to retrieve an AR-15 rifle.
As the gunman ran back toward Olde Town Square, Johnny Hurley, 40 who was shopping inside an Army Navy Surplus Store and witnessed the incident, shot Troyke with a handgun, according to police.
Hurley was holding Troyke’s AR-15 when an Arvada officer arrived at the scene and opened fire, killing him.
Investigators later released excerpts from a 4 page manifesto written by Troyke in which he vowed to “kill as many Arvada officers as I possibly can,” according to Denver Post.
“I just hope I don’t die without killing any of you pigs.” another note said.
Arvada police, repeatedly referred to Hurley as a “hero,” in a news release and noted, “it is clear that the suspect bears responsibility for this tragic sequence of events.”
The officer who shot Hurley was placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues.