Aircraft flew over Staunton State Park on Tuesday in search of a suspect wanted for the attempted murder of a volunteer Colorado Parks and Wildlife park ranger.
In an open dirt lot on the north edge of the park, Elk Falls Ranch neighborhood residents waited for the all-clear from law enforcement.
A spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the ranger was involved in an altercation in the park near Old Mill Trail about 9:30 a.m.
Jefferson County
According to investigators, the stabbing suspect ran away from the scene.
The Jeffco Sheriff spokesperson told CBS Colorado that the person who was stabbed is a seasonal Colorado Parks and Wildlife ranger. The ranger was rushed to the hospital via an air ambulance with serious injuries.
“He has been through surgery and has been doing well,” said Karlyn Tilley, a sheriff’s office spokesperson.
The suspect has been described by law enforcement as a white man, 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, in his early 30s with brown hair, no facial hair, wearing a grey shirt with no printing on it, and blue jeans.
CBS
The search included resources both on the ground and in the air.
What happened leading up to the stabbing is being investigated. The park has been locked down; no one can leave and no one is being allowed inside, although visitors are being evacuated from the interior of the park, according to Jeffco Sheriff’s spokesperson Jacki Kelley.
“So we’re pulling people off the trails when we come to them, just to see if they saw anything, and we are doing a huge area search for the suspect. We also are using drones, and we have multiple agencies on scene,” said Kelley.
CBS
Schools and residents in the area were locked down as law enforcement from multiple agencies searched for that suspect. A shelter-in-place at the park was lifted around 5 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office, but the park will remain closed through Wednesday morning, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said.
“I had a doctor’s appointment at 1 o,n, and they searched my vehicle on the way out and the way back in,” said Tim Harvey, who’s lived in the area for 23 years. “I locked my windows and doors when I left and I don’t usually do that.”
Another resident, who asked not to be identified, said they were checking on a neighbor.
“They’ve basically been holding us up out here,” he said. “I came to check in on her because we’re only a couple blocks and now they basically have us waiting until they got the guy.”
Asked if he’d seen anything like the manhunt before, that resident told CBS Colorado, “nothing we’ve seen, no. So this has been quite the exciting day so far.”
Anyone who sees something is asked to call 911. They should consider this person dangerous, according to the Jeffco Sheriff.
Staunton State Park is a Colorado state park in both Jefferson and Park counties, located about 38 miles west of Denver. The 3,908-acre park opened in May 2013.
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