Two Pueblo police officers who were injured in a shooting last week were struck by other officers’ gunfire in a shooting that also left one man dead, police said Friday.
Police had followed the man, later identified as 36-year-old Luis Antonio Morales, who was suspected of an earlier home invasion, to an apartment in the southwest part of the city and knocked on the door, announcing themselves as police. Morales opened the door and was shot and killed, police said in the Friday update.
“The circumstances surrounding this incident are tragic; the Pueblo Police Department expresses our condolences to Mr. Morales’ family and loved ones,” police wrote in the release.
Officers Justin Ortiz and Jonathon Woehler were hit by other officers’ gunfire in the exchange. Ortiz received a graze wound to the ankle, and Woehler was shot in both legs and taken to the hospital. He was released Monday and is recovering, police said.
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Police have not said how many officers fired their weapons.
A firearm was found at the scene, but police did not say whether Morales was armed when he opened the door for police.
Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller said the department plans to examine the incident, including tactics, positioning, communication and decision-making to improve its training and procedures.
“It is always our goal to learn and grow from the most challenging issues, and that’s what we will do with this incident,” Noeller said in a statement. “We will let the evidence guide our work and make meaningful improvement that helps protect our officers and the people we serve in the Pueblo community.”
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