A release said good Samaritan Johnny Hurley was holding the suspect’s AR-15 rifle when an officer shot him.
ARVADA, Colo. — The Arvada Police Department (APD) confirmed in a release Friday reports that Johnny Hurley, the good Samaritan killed in a shooting in Olde Town Monday, was killed by an officer as Hurley held suspect Ronald Troyke’s gun.
The release outlines the following sequence of events:
- 12:49 p.m. – The suspect’s brother called police, asking for a welfare check because his brother was going to “do something crazy.”
- 1:08 p.m. – Officer Gordon Beesley and another Arvada PD officer attempted to contact the suspect at his home to check his welfare. They were unable to make contact with him, and clear from the call for service at 1:18 p.m.
- 1:17 p.m. – Dispatch receives a suspicious person call in the Olde Town Square.
- 1:30 p.m. – Beesley is dispatched to the suspicious person call, arriving at the Olde Town Square at 1:31 p.m.
- Beesley parked on Webster Street and walked through an alley toward the Olde Town Square.
- As Beesley walked westbound, the suspect pulled into the area in a truck and parked behind him.
- The suspect got out of his truck with a 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun, ran after Beesley and yelled at him.
- Beesley stopped, turned and immediately was shot twice by the suspect.
- Beesley did not reach for his gun and took no defensive action
- The suspect then shot out the windows of patrol cars parked in the area and into the air.
- The suspect ran back to his truck and retrieved an AR-15.
- The suspect ran back towards the Olde Town Square with the long gun, where he was confronted by Hurley.
- Hurley then shot the suspect with a handgun.
- A responding Arvada Police officer then encountered Hurley, who was holding the suspect’s AR-15. The officer shot him.
The release said investigators found a handwritten note by Troyke in his apartment that contained these statements:
- “My goal today is to kill Arvada PD officers”
- “We the people were never your enemy, but we are now”
- “This is what you get, you are the people who are expendable”
- “Hundreds of you pigs should be killed daily”
- “Today I will kill as many Arvada officers as I possibly can”
- “I just hope I don’t die without killing any of you pigs”
The suspect also expressed that this was his way of holding law enforcement accountable, according to the release.
APD called Hurley a hero who “saved numerous lives to include civilians and other Arvada Police Officers.”
APD also released the surveillance video below of the moments surrounding the shooting of Beesley.
Editor’s note: This video contains graphic content and could be disturbing to some viewers. It has been edited by the Arvada Police Department.
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APD said the deaths of Hurley and Beesley are being investigated separately. That agency is handling the investigation into Beesley’s death, while a multi-agency Critical Incident Response Team investigates Hurley’s death under the direction of 1st Judicial District Attorney Alexis King. APD is not involved in that investigation, according to the release.
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