An investigation into a fatal police shooting Tuesday in Westminster is underway after an officer shot an armed woman in an SUV, police said.
The shooting happened in the area of West 88th Avenue and Lamar Drive, the Westminster Police Department said in a 5:28 p.m. tweet.
An officer, at 4:41 p.m., was on “routine” patrol in the 8800 block of Lamar when he spotted a silver SUV parked and facing westbound in the eastbound lanes of 88th Avenue, police said in a news release.
The officer exited his vehicle and attempted to talk with the woman, the lone person in the SUV, and she was armed with a gun, the release said. The officer fired his weapon, striking the driver, and she was later pronounced dead at a hospital. No one else was injured in the incident. The woman’s identity will be released by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office after family has been notified.
Police did not say Tuesday whether the woman fired the weapon.
The officer, who was uninjured, has been placed on paid administration leave, per department policy, pending an ongoing investigation by the 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team. The CIRT investigation will be presented to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office for review.
West 88th was closed between Pierce Street and Lamar for several hours.
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