A Greeley police officer fired his gun after a traffic stop led to a fight with a suspect on Sunday.

The shooting happened about 2 p.m. Sunday after Officer Cody Welch attempted a traffic stop on a GMC Sierra in the 2300 block of Alpine Avenue in Greeley.

During the stop, Welch found the driver, 23-year-old Giovanni Pacheco, had three active arrest warrants, according to an arrest affidavit. When Welch tried to get Pacheco to leave the SUV, Pacheco leaned back into the vehicle and kicked the officer in the chest and threw punches at him, the affidavit states, citing body camera footage.

Then the pair kept fighting in the street, and it appeared on body camera footage that Welch, who was on top, was being held in some kind of chokehold.

That’s when Welch fired a single shot and the apparent chokehold ended.

Pacheco was taken to a hospital for minor injuries and was released into police custody, according to a 19th Judicial District news release. Officials did not say whether those injuries stemmed from the gunshot.

He faces a charge of aggravated first-degree assault, a felony, and a misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest, according to the affidavit.

A forensic nurse told investigators that Welch complained of feeling dizzy and having a restricted airflow, denoting a serious bodily injury, the arrest affidavit stated.

The 19th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting.

Anyone with information about this incident should contact Investigations Detective Mike Stuvel at 970-373-9239 or mstuvel@weldgov.com.

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