A Thornton police officer shot and injured an Adams County sheriff’s deputy during the arrest of a man suspected to be involved in a triple homicide earlier this month, authorities said Monday.
The shooting occurred after several law enforcement agencies on Dec. 12 assisted the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in the area of 40th Avenue and Clay Street in contacting a homicide suspect.
Furmen Leyba, 30, was apprehended after a brief foot chase, but during the incident the Thornton officer fired his gun, hitting the deputy. The deputy was taken to a local hospital and was treated that night and released.
Adams County Sgt. Aaron Pataluna would not release the name of the injured deputy but said he has not returned to duty. Thornton police have not released the name of the officer who fired the shot.
Leyba, along with 41-year-old Gabriel Flores, has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Jason Quijada, 37, Johnny Gutierrez, 18, and Jayson Figueroa, 17. They were shot and killed in an Adams County home on Dec. 10.
