Greeley police officers who shot and killed a man who was holding a handgun while they were trying to arrest him will not face criminal charges, according to the Weld County District Attorney.
In a Jan. 6 letter to Greeley Police Chief Adam Turk of the investigation, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rouke said he determined the officers were justified in their actions because it was reasonable for them to believe Chad Ingmire, 39, was going to use deadly force against them or another person while trying to arrest him on Oct. 10. The letter noted it was irrelevant whether Ingmire actually intended to shoot at the officers.
Officers first attempted to contact Ingmire on Sept. 23 as a suspicious person in a vehicle in an unnamed location, according to the letter. Police said during that incident he had what appeared to be a firearm in his lap, although Ingmire said it was a BB gun. Ingmire told officers they would have to “shoot me” or “kill me,” and drove away while an officer was partially in Ingmire’s vehicle. Officers later learned from an informant that Ingmire often carried a firearm and was willing to use it to not go to jail, the district attorney’s decision letter states.
The Greeley Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team, including officers Kevin Douglas, Samuel Little, Zach Eberhard, Adam Cronquist, Daniel Trujillo and Sgt. Jeff Smith, developed a plan to apprehend Ingmire on Oct. 10 while hopefully being able to use less-lethal force.
Officers worked with an informant to have Ingmire come to 610 27th Street Road in Greeley. When Ingmire arrived at 4:27 p.m. on his motorcycle, Douglas, Cronquist, Trujillo, Eberhard and Little pulled up in three police vehicles with emergency lights on and told him to stay where he was and show them his hands because he was under arrest. He tried to flee on the motorcycle, and Ebehard fire a less-lethal projectile to try stop him, but it had no effect and may have not hit him. Then Douglas knocked over the motorcycle while Ingmire was still on it, and he tried to run away.
Officers pursued and heard him shout “You’re going to have to shoot me,” according to the DA’s letter. Douglas shouted “He’s reaching,” and Ingmire turned toward officers while holding a firearm. That’s when Cronquist, Douglas, Eberhard, Little and Trujillo shot at Ingmire with service weapons. The officers uncuffed Ingmire and began chest compressions but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The officers later reported that they feared for their lives and the lives of others when Ingmire pointed his firearm at them, the DA’s letter says.
Trujillo’s body-worn camera was not turned on until after the shooting, according to the investigation report. He told investigators he turned the camera on “do not disturb” mode before the incident and forgot to turn it back on.
An autopsy report stated Ingmire was shot 27 times, according to the decision. He also had acute methamphetamine intoxication and alcohol in his system, according to the autopsy report.
Ingmire’s criminal history dates back to when he was 7 years old, the decision letter states. He continued to have many altercations with police across northern Colorado as an adult, where he was often aggressive toward officers and armed with either a knife or firearm, according to the letter.
