GRAND JUNCTION — A prosecutor says he won’t file charges against two federal officers who shot and killed a suspect in western Colorado because the suspect drew his weapon and fired first.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reported Saturday that Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein ruled U.S. Bureau of Land Management officers were justified in the shooting of 67-year-old Eugene Baylis.
The officers’ names weren’t released.
The shootout occurred May 27 while Baylis was sitting in a van in the desert north of Grand Junction.
Authorities said that after the two officers approached the van and began speaking with Baylis, he grabbed a revolver and fired.
Officials say the shot struck one of the officers in the chest, but he was wearing a protective vest and suffered only bruising.
