LAKEWOOD, Colo – A man was shot by a Lakewood police agent Friday afternoon after police were called to investigate an alleged shoplifting incident.
The Lakewood Police Department responded to a reported shoplifting incident at a Home Depot on W. Colfax Avenue around 2:35 p.m. An officer from the store reported that a man threatened store employees and fled when confronted.
During a search near Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, officers identified a man matching the suspect’s description entering the EZ Pawn parking lot at 7620 W. Colfax Ave. The man then threatened the officers and used one of the stolen items as a weapon.
The man reportedly approached agents with the “weapon,” and an agent fired their service weapon. Police said the man was struck once.
The man was taken to the hospital. His condition is not known at this time but he was “alive at last check,” police said.
No agents were injured in the incident.
At present, the identity of the man involved has not been disclosed by the Lakewood PD. The officer who discharged their weapon has been put on administrative leave as per department procedures.
The First Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is investigating the shooting.
