| State trooper in serious condition after shooting Related stories:
Trooper Cutrone a 5-year Patrol veteran
Suspect wanted in Texas May 10, 2003 By Katharhynn Heidelberg
Journal Staff Writer
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Cutrone |
Just five years after losing Cortez Police Officer Dale Claxton in the line of duty, Montezuma County is again reeling from an attack on a peace officer. Colorado State Patrol Technician Chris Cutrone was shot multiple times during what began as a routine traffic stop near the Ute Mountain Casino in Towaoc Thursday afternoon. According to CSP spokes-man Mike McGuire, a suspect tentatively identified as Brent David Derrick, 26, was driving a 1996 Buick LeSabre, when Cutrone pulled him over in the northbound lane of US 160. Before exiting his patrol unit, Cutrone called in the Texas license plate on the Buick — a plate which would later come back as stolen from a 1992 four-door Buick in Texas on May 6. The LeSabre itself was also reported stolen on April 30 from Randall County, Texas, where Derrick is reportedly wanted on multiple felony warrants. As Cutrone approached the vehicle, a man believed to be Derrick allegedly fired a handgun, and Cutrone was struck four times. According to the CSP, Cutrone staggered away and collapsed just inside the casino, where bystanders rushed to his aid. The suspect fled the scene. Dale Americanhorse, lead officer with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Towaoc was first to respond to the casino, according to BIA acting chief and special agent Jim Hopper. Americanhorse was joined at the scene by a CSP trooper, and the two officers then raced off in pursuit of the vehicle. Ultimately, several law enforcement agencies, including the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, Cortez Police Department, BIA, CSP, Ute Tribal Police, the Mancos Marshal and sheriff’s offices from Dolores, La Plata, San Juan (Colorado) and San Juan (Utah) counties would join the resulting manhunt and investigation. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is also investigating. Securing the scene required a portion of the highway to be shut down, and traffic was re-routed around the casino. The casino itself was closed to business during the incident. The lockdown forced dozens of employees and patrons to remain inside. Casino management had no comment about the shooting Friday. The search lasted until early evening, when a man believed to be Derrick was spotted in Towaoc. Hopper, whose statements were approved for release by McGuire, confirmed reports that the man had allegedly dumped the stolen vehicle in a reservoir north of Towaoc known as First Lake. "The vehicle was totally submerged," Hopper said. Americanhorse had spotted tracks leading into the reservoir. "He found the vehicle, in essence, which led to it being recovered," Hopper added. Search and rescue divers from the MCSO helped tow the vehicle from the lake. Towaoc residents spotted the suspect after 5 p.m. Thursday, as he knocked on doors, reportedly in search of a telephone. The residents contacted police, who pursued the man. BIA officer Tallas Cantsee confronted the suspect and saw him fire a single gunshot into his own body. Following this incident, a Towaoc man allegedly telephoned police to tell of another suspect, a red-haired man in a white T-shirt, who reportedly had tried to steal a vehicle. Although officers searched for that second suspect, an investigation determined the report was false, Montezuma County Sheriff Joey Chavez said late Thursday night. "It never happened," Chavez said. "All evidence we have shows he (the first suspect) was by himself." "We are not looking for any other suspect at this time," McGuire confirmed. Gabriel Peabody, accused of making the false report, was arrested by Americanhorse. Both Cutrone and his alleged assailant were taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital, where they were stabilized for air transport to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Grand Junction. According to a spokesperson at St. Mary’s, Cutrone is in serious condition. St. Mary’s did list a Brent David Derrick as a patient; his condition was reported as critical. CSP Capt. Jim Wolfinbarger said Friday the suspect’s identity had not yet been officially confirmed as Derrick. "Since (Derrick) was in the hospital (St. Mary’s), it’s reasonable to assume, but fingerprints have not come back yet," he said. The shooting marks the second time in little more than a week that a Colorado law enforcement officer has been assaulted. Englewood police officer Eric Zasada was shot while investigating a disturbance, according to the Denver Post. It is also eerily reminiscent of Claxton’s death in May 1998. Claxton was gunned down, allegedly by three men, after stopping the vehicle in which they were traveling. One suspect has not been located; the other two were eventually found dead. |
