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The son of Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle was one of five Douglas County law enforcement officers shot in a barrage of gunfire Sunday during an apparent ambush inside a Highlands Ranch apartment complex.
One Douglas County sheriff's deputy — Zackari Parrish, 29 — was killed in the shooting. Two civilians also were wounded, and the gunman was killed in a shootout with responding officers, according to officials.
"He knew we were coming," Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said of the shooter, who used a rifle and fired at least 100 rounds.
Pelle's son — 32-year-old Jeff Pelle, a Douglas County sheriff's deputy — was seriously injured, but is expected to recover.
Pelle posted about his son's injuries on his Facebook page Sunday morning, noting Jeff Pelle was finishing surgery after a bullet went into his shoulder and down through his stomach.
The good news, Pelle wrote, was that his son "was talking and walked out to ambulance under his own power."
Pelle offered an update later in the afternoon, writing, "Jeff is going to recover physically! Thanking God for the quick actions of his fellow deputies, paramedics and surgical team who no doubt saved his life! Jeff has a collapsed lung, punctured diaphragm, broken ribs and a lacerated liver."
Pelle wrote that while his son's injuries are not life threatening, his emotional trauma is "a heavy load." But, he added, "The good news is his sense of humor is still intact."
In a statement issued by the Boulder sheriff's office, Joe and Stephanie Pelle wrote, "Our hearts ache for all those involved, and we are not only praying for Jeff's recovery, but for the recovery of everyone involved, and for the family of the fallen deputy."
The gunman who killed Parrish and wounded the four other law enforcement officers ambushed them after they responded to a domestic disturbance call, Spurlock said.
Four deputies arrived together at the gunman's home in the Copper Canyon Apartments, a collection of two-story brick buildings near County Line Road. After the officers engaged the suspect inside his apartment, he barricaded himself inside a bedroom and then unleashed a volley of gunfire. All were wearing bulletproof vests but were struck in unprotected parts of their bodies.
"They all went down, almost within seconds of each other," Spurlock said at a news conference.
The wounded deputies crawled away while others responded. Parrish had been shot several times.
"When (Parrish) was shot, and went down, the other officers went down right around him," Spurlock said. "They tried to pull him out but were unable to due to their injuries.
"I do know all of them were shot very, very quickly, and they all went down almost within seconds of each other. So it was more of an ambush type of attack on our officers. He knew we were coming, and we obviously let him know we were there to investigate the disturbance."
Spurlock said Parrish is survived by a wife and two young daughters. He had been a deputy for about seven months.
"They had many hopes and dreams and he was doing his job, and he was doing his job well, and his life was taken from us this morning," Spurlock said. "...We are deeply saddened by the loss of Zackari. When I sat with his wife and held her hand I could see in her eyes, her life is over. ... It was very difficult today to go see Zack the last time."
In addition to Pelle, the injured deputies are Mike Doyle, 28, and Taylor Davis, 30. Castle Rock police officer Tom O'Donnell, 41, was also injured. All were listed as stable at area hospitals.
Two other people in adjacent apartments also were wounded, but their injuries were not life-threatening, Spurlock said.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to them as well, as just regular people trying to live their life, disrupted by this individual," Spurlock said.
Spurlock said the gunman had no apparent criminal history, but he was well known to law enforcement. He declined to provide further details, and he said the gunman's name will not be released until positive identification by the coroner.
Denver television stations identified the gunman as Mathew Riehl, an Iraq war veteran who has posted a number of anti-law enforcement videos on YouTube.
The Denver Post contributed to this report.
Amy Bounds: 303-473-1341, boundsa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/boundsa
