One officer killed, three wounded in Lakewood, Colorado bus shooting; suspect dead

A shooting in Lakewood, a suburb of Denver, Colorado, on the evening of November 5 left one police officer dead, three officers wounded and a civilian injured. Police shot and killed the suspect.

Suspect opened fire as officers approached near bus

Lakewood police said officers responded at about 6:30 p.m. local time to a report of a suspicious person near the intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, where they found a man trying to board a Regional Transportation District (RTD) bus. As officers approached, the suspect suddenly opened fire, striking four officers. Police returned fire, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lakewood Police Public Information Officer John Romero confirmed at a news conference that evening that one officer died of his injuries, three other officers were taken to hospital with injuries whose severity was not disclosed, and a civilian was also injured and taken to hospital. Police later released the identity of the fallen officer; the identities of the wounded officers and the suspect have still not been released.

Suspect may be linked to earlier hit-and-run; investigation under way

Police said the suspect may have been connected to a hit-and-run earlier the same day, but gave no further details, and a motive has not been established. Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a statement mourning the fallen officer. The Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team is leading the investigation, with assistance from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and police said more information would be released on November 6.

November 6 update: fallen officer identified

Lakewood police confirmed on November 6 that the fallen officer was Nic Graham, who joined the force in 2019 and had become a decorated officer and trainer. Police Chief Philip Smith told a news conference that Graham came from a police family — his father recently retired from police work and his mother worked in a crime lab — and that Graham had handled 322 cases, the largest caseload on the department's major crimes team. One of the three wounded officers remained in hospital. A motive has still not been released.

November 6 evening update: suspect reported to be a parolee

The Denver Post reported on the evening of November 6 that the suspect was 34-year-old Gabriel Steven Garcia. Citing Colorado Department of Corrections records, the newspaper said Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2019 for a 2017 felony assault on a police officer, was first paroled in December 2022, was paroled again on September 23, 2026, was listed as an absconder two days later, and was held by Broomfield police from September 28 until October 20. Lakewood police said at a Friday news conference that the suspect's identity would only be formally released after next of kin were notified, so the identification rests on the Denver Post report rather than an official police release. Two of the wounded officers have been released from hospital; one remains hospitalised.