Fort Collins Police Defuse Suspected ‘Suicide By Cop’ Situation
Fort Collins police were able to peaceably defuse a situation on Sunday in which they think an armed man may have been trying to get officers to shoot him after he reported himself to police.
That's according to a post on the Fort Collins Police Services Facebook page. According to the post, police got a call on Sunday night about a man sitting near a restaurant with a pistol aimed at his head. When they first got there, police couldn't find the alleged man.
But eventually, an officer spotted a man at the far end of the shopping center parking lot with a handgun tucked into his pants. When he saw the police the man began shouting profanities and reaching in the direction of the gun. The officer kept his distance but kept watching the man to make sure he wasn't endangering anyone.
More cops arrived on the scene, and the man started walking toward a nearby grocery store. Police grew increasingly concerned that the man posed a threat to shoppers and store employees, so they formed a contact team to keep the armed man from getting any closer. But the man refused to cooperate and kept reaching for his gun.
The officers then deployed a less-lethal 40mm launcher, which launches hard-foam batons. That allowed police to finally arrest the man without further incident. He was found to have a loaded handgun and was then booked into the Larimer County jail on outstanding warrants as well as charges related to the Sunday incident.
Further investigation revealed the man had reported himself to police dispatch in what may have been an effort to get officers to shoot him.