Man arrested in Denver-area shooting and taken to hospital along with female victim, police say

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) — A suspect in a shooting at an apartment complex near Denver was taken into custody Thursday and transported to a hospital along with a female victim, police said.

Police negotiated with the suspect for 3 1/2 hours before using force to enter the unit at the Arista Flats complex in Broomfield where he was holding a woman hostage, saod Rachel Hazlett, a spokeswoman for the police department. One officer fired his weapon, she said.

Neighbors reported hearing multiple bursts of gunfire and up to 50 shots coming from the apartment complex during the tense few hours between when the first shots were fired and when police made the arrest.

Shots hit vehicles, other buildings, other apartment units, Haslett said. “He was threatening to hurt people.”

Before the arrest, police sent a reverse emergency notification to area residents to shelter in place after responding to reports of gunfire at the complex.

In bystander video from the scene, an officer could be heard calling out to someone inside the complex.

“This is the Broomfield Police Department. Come outside with your hands up with no weapons. … Your mom wants to see you. Come out now,” an officer said.

Nate Schamel, who lives in an apartment building across the street from the Arista Flats, told The Associated Press that he first heard sirens at around 6:45 a.m.

“I heard more and went outside onto my balcony. I saw a Broomfield Pd officer pull up across the street from me, get out with his rifle, cock it and start trotting down the street. I asked what was going on and he told me to go inside,” Schamel said in a text.

He said at 7:30, he called down to an officer who was next to his home and asked what was going on, and the officer told him and his wife to evacuate.

“This was after we had already heard multiple bursts of gunfire (from what sounded like multiple different weapons) and as we were leaving we heard 4-5 more bursts of gunfire,” he wrote.

Denver TV station KUSA reported that shortly before 10 a.m., its news crew at the scene heard a loud bang and then gunfire. At least one person was brought out to an ambulance and taken away.

Aaron Maxey, who also lives across the street from the Arista Flats complex, told Denver TV station KUSA that he heard 30 to 50 shots.

Broomfield is a city of about 75,000 people roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Denver.

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Hanson reported from Helena, Montana.

By JESSE BEDAYN and AMY HANSON
Associated Press