This is a developing story and may be updated as new information becomes available.
Updated 2:30 p.m. Tuesday
The suspect of an officer-involved shooting on I-70 near Dotsero has been apprehended and taken into custody.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office sent a press release shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon informing the public that deputies had taken Kenny Espinoza into custody and were lifting the shelter-in-place orders for nearby communities.
I-70 was closed in both directions for over 8 hours between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum while the Colorado Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting, but it has since reopened.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Eagle County Sheriff James van Beek said that no law enforcement officers were injured during the shooting, but one other individual was injured and had minor, non-life-threatening injuries. They were treated at the scene, taken to a hospital and have since been released.
There were five additional people in the suspect’s vehicle at the time of the shooting, including minor children. While early reports indicated the passengers might have been hostages, Van Beek said they have not clarified the nature of their relationship to the suspect. He said he will provide updates to the community as he receives them from the agency.
The sheriff said the area Espinoza ran to is “very open” with “a lot of places to hide,” and drones were used to scout the area.
In Tuesday’s press conference, Van Beek said the manhunt has scared a lot of Eagle County residents.
“I want to acknowledge that what happened today really rocked our community,” Van Beek said. “It's extremely frightening. It's been disruptive, but thankfully, we have people that are responding.”
Van Beek also dispelled a rumor that the closure was due to an ICE operation. He said that this is “absolutely not true at all.”
ORIGINAL STORY:
Several law enforcement agencies are actively searching for a suspect in a Denver homicide investigation. The man fled near Dotsero after a traffic stop and officer-involved shooting.
According to a post on the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office Facebook Page, Vail Public Safety Communications was alerted after 4:00 a.m. Tuesday that the suspect was believed to be traveling near Gypsum, armed and possibly with hostages.
A deputy located and pursued a vehicle that matched the suspect’s description on I-70, driving westbound. The driver exited the freeway at mile marker 119 near No Name and reentered the freeway traveling eastbound toward Denver.
The suspect refused to stop, according to the sheriff’s office, and deputies installed a spike strip outside of Dotsero on I-70, successfully stopping the vehicle.
After two individuals exited the vehicle, pointing a firearm, the sheriff’s office said the suspect and law enforcement exchanged shots. One person was injured in the exchange and received medical care on scene before they were transported to a hospital. The press release did not specify who discharged their firearm first or who was injured.
Law enforcement was able to establish contact with the other people in the vehicle, but did not disclose the number of passengers.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, and Colorado State Patrol are still searching for the suspect who fled as of 9:00 a.m Tuesday morning.
He is believed to be armed and dangerous and are directing anyone who comes in contact to call 911 and avoid any interaction.
A shelter-in-place order is in place for the surrounding area, and I-70 is shut down between Glenwood Springs and Gypsum.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.