Authorities have identified a 34-year-old Pagosa Springs man as the suspect killed in an officer-involved shooting early Wednesday in Durango.
According to the Durango Police Department, officers were dispatched to O’Reilly Auto Parts at 2475 Main Ave. around 4:30 a.m. after being alerted by a business alarm.
Officers arrived on the scene and set up a perimeter, the Durango Police Department said. An officer spotted a white man in his 30s in the back of the store trying to escape. The suspect then ran to the front of the store, where he encountered another officer.
Durango Police Chief Bob Brammer said the officer announced himself as a policeman, and noticed the suspect was holding a gun. He was ordered to put the gun down but instead started firing.
“Initial reports indicate the male subject was armed with a handgun and began shooting at a Durango Police Officer in front of the store through the business’s glass doors,” the Durango Police Department said in a statement. “The officer returned fire, killing the subject.”
The man was identified as Jason Noble Snow of Pagosa Springs. Snow died before medical assistance arrived.
Investigators are attempting to locate a woman possibly involved in the burglary who was with the suspect at the time of the burglary.
Authorities on Wednesday afternoon identified the woman as Terrianne Paige Hiehle, 23. Durango police said Hiehle uses her middle name Paige. She is white; has brown hair, possibly worn long; and has green eyes. She is about 5 feet 7 inches tall and 130 pounds.
Hiehle was last seen on foot in the area of Arroyo Drive in Durango. She was associated with a vehicle that police removed from the Arroyo Drive area. Hiehle is considered armed and dangerous, and police advise against attempting to contact her in person.
Cmdr. Ray Shupe said the identity of the officer involved in the shooting will not be released until he is interviewed by authorities. Officers have 72 hours to be interviewed, Shupe said.
“So it may be a few days before we release the name of the officer,” he said.
No officers were injured. Shupe said this is the first officer-involved shooting for the Durango Police Department since 2000.
The investigation is being led by the 6th Judicial District Involved Investigation Team as well as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. The incident was caught on the officer’s body cam, Shupe said.
Main Avenue at 24th Street was closed for a time after the incident, Shupe said, but had reopened as of 9:15 a.m. The area around O’Reilly’s will remain closed as authorities continue the investigation.
“We anticipate this closure will remain in effect for most of the day,” the release said. “This is an ongoing investigation and no further details of the incident are being released at this time.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Josh Newman at 375-4733.
jromeo@durangoherald.com