On the afternoon of February 15th, a family disturbance involving a gun prompted an emergency call to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) from the 3100 block of Illinois Avenue. The El Paso County Sheriff's Office has reported that when officers arrived at the scene, they confirmed a family dispute was underway, with a family member still inside the home with the armed suspect.
Officers engaged in safety planning to handle the situation, but as they were making arrangements to contact those inside, the armed suspect confronted them. Despite officers' verbal commands to drop the weapon, the man, later identified as 45-year-old Derrick Wardle, was fatally shot after raising his gun toward the officers. Immediate medical attention was provided, but, Wardle was pronounced dead at the location.
According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, no other community members or officers were harmed during the incident. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave in line with CSPD policy.
