Saguache deputy attacked with pipe, suspect fatally shot

(SAGUACHE COUNTY, Colo.) — A suspect is dead after authorities say he attacked a Saguache County deputy with a metal pipe and was fatally shot by the deputy.

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), around noon on Thursday, July 25, a deputy with the Saguache County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) was driving near the town of Crestone, about 12 miles southwest of Westcliffe, to serve papers when he spotted a man walking near the entrance of the Baca Grande Subdivision.

The CBI said the deputy recognized the 40-year-old man as having an active warrant. The deputy was trying to talk to the man when the man started attacking the deputy with a 4-foot metal pipe. The CBI said the deputy then retrieved his service weapon and fired twice, hitting the suspect.

The deputy immediately began life-saving efforts, but the suspect was pronounced dead on scene. The deputy was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries before being released.

The identity of the suspect has not been released. The CBI is assisting in the investigation into the fatal shooting.

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