A Pueblo teenager who shot a police captain during a chaotic overnight carjacking and pursuit last year was sentenced to 34 years in prison on Tuesday. The teen, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, had been tried as an adult across several cases and pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and attempted first-degree assault.
A Violent Night Near Northern and Abriendo
The shooting unfolded shortly after midnight on April 28, 2025, near the intersection of Northern Avenue and Abriendo Avenue in Pueblo, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. Around the same time, a passenger from that original incident got out of a vehicle at 4th Street and Glendale Avenue and carjacked another vehicle at gunpoint, according to a Pueblo Police Department news release.
Officers soon spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to stop it. The department's release states that the suspect then began firing at the officer trying to make the stop, leaving the officer with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. As officers pursued the vehicle, gunfire was exchanged in the 4600 block of Thatcher Avenue, per the same release.
Pursuit Ends With Tactical Stop
Officers eventually stopped the vehicle using tactical vehicle intervention, the police department said. The 16-year-old suspect also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound during the exchange. The officer wounded during the pursuit was identified in the Gazette's reporting as a Pueblo police captain, who also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Following the shooting, the department's release noted that the 10th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, led by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, was activated to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
Sentenced More Than A Year Later
More than a year after the pursuit, the case concluded Tuesday with a 34-year prison sentence delivered by a judge in Pueblo, the Gazette reported. The teen was tried as an adult across several cases stemming from the incident and ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and attempted first-degree assault rather than face trial on the full scope of charges.
