The armed man fatally shot by a Colorado Springs police officer in May fired multiple shots from inside his home into the surrounding neighborhood, striking down a police drone, police said Thursday.
Michael Ray Hurst Jr., 40, was shot twice by Colorado Springs police officer Nicholas Cassalia after Hurst refused to put down his weapon and moved to use it, police said in a Thursday briefing.
Colorado Springs officers responded to a 911 call around 10:36 p.m. Saturday, May 18 from Hurst’s mother, who claimed her son was suicidal and had a gun, police department spokesperson Joe Frabbiele said in the briefing.
At 10:42 p.m., a gunshot was heard from inside the house while the mother was still on the phone with 911 dispatchers, Frabbiele said. She told dispatchers Hurst had likely shot into the ceiling and safely escaped the home by crawling out of her bedroom window.
In an audio recording of the 911 call, the mother can be heard telling dispatchers that her son must be high on methamphetamine.
Colorado Springs officers attempted to perform a welfare check once on scene and made several announcements askingHurst to come out of the home, Frabbiele said in Thursday’s briefing. In response, Hurst fired two shots from inside the home into the surrounding neighborhood, striking down a Colorado Springs Police Department drone hovering in the air.
Nearly 20 minutes after those shots were fired, Hurst exited the house but refused to put down the gun, Frabbiele said.
Hurst repeatedly made threats to shoot the officers. In body camera footage from Colorado Springs police, Hurst can be heard telling officers “I’ll shoot you, too” and “Y’all gonna die” among other insults and threats.
When Hurst made movements suggesting he was going to use his gun, Cassalia fired his rifle four times, striking Hurst twice, Frabbiele said. Officers attempted emergency medical aid and Hurst was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries.
The shooting is under investigation by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office to determine whether Cassalia’s use of force complied with Colorado law.
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