Colorado Springs Police Release Video in Fatal Officer-Involved Shooting

Warning: Footage is graphic. Viewer discretion is advised

A Colorado Springs police officer will not face charges for fatally shooting an armed burglary suspect.

“Here the suspect was committing a felony burglary and when he pulled a gun out he was committing two more felonies of menacing and robbery,” the district attorney’s office said, according to The Gazette.

The DA added: “At that moment, even if fleeing, under Colorado criminal law the officer is allowed to use deadly force in effecting his arrest.”

Officer Troy Kananen was justified in using deadly force because he thought the suspect, Jesse Paul Schlegel was about to shoot a bystander.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office stated that Schlegel drew a pistol and pointed it at a citizen nearby, who was identified as Mike Ayles, KRDO reported.

Kananen then opened fire at the suspect.

Ayles and Schlegel had “a very brief tussle,” The Gazette reported. Ayles yelled in the video, “He’s got a gun!”

“Believing that the suspect was about to shoot Mr. Ayles (and possibly Officer Kananen next), Officer Kananen fired his weapon, striking the suspect several times,” the DA’s Office added, according to the paper. Schlegel dropped a loaded Glock 19 9mm pistol after falling to the ground

Schlegel was hospitalized and later died. The Gazette reported that he was shot several times, and had several drugs in his system, including oxycodone and “an extremely high concentration of methamphetamine.”

Colorado criminal law allows police to use deadly force in an arrest of a fleeing suspect when the officer knows the suspect has committed to attempted to commit a felony with a deadly weapon, KRDO noted.