Hero Inadvertently Shot, Killed After Shooting Cop Killer

Armed citizen John Hurley intervened in an attack on an Arvada, Colorado, police officer, killed the attacker, and was then inadvertently shot and killed by police.

CBS Denver notes that the incident occurred Monday afternoon but police are just now releasing details.

Those details show that officer Gordon Beesley was ambushed by a suspect armed with a 12 gauge shotgun.

Beesley was responding to reports of an armed suspect near Old Towne Square. When he parked his cruiser to walk toward the square, the suspect parked behind him. The suspect then chased after Beesley, shooting him twice and killing him.

The suspect then grabbed an AR-15 from his truck and returned to the square, allegedly to shoot more officers if he could.

Armed citizen John Hurley reportedly confronted the suspect, shooting him dead.

Denver 7 reports that Hurley picked up the AR-15 after killing the suspect and a responding officer shot Hurley, believing him to be the suspect.

Hurley’s family released a statement after his death, which said, in part:

Our beloved son and brother Johnny is no more. We loved him dearly. May he rest in peace. Before Johnny engaged in a clear-eyed response to a dire situation, he was already a wonderful human being with a great enthusiasm for life. Johnny had an inquiring mind, independent spirit, and strong principles, though he was beholden to no single cause or belief. He called out injustice when he saw it. He brought joy to many people and looked for the good in others. Moving forward without Johnny feels impossible. We are so proud of him.

Arvada police indicate that the suspect killed by Hurley left behind a note, which included the statements “today I will kill as many Arvada officers as I possibly can” and “I just hope I don’t die without killing any of you pigs.”

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.