JeffCo Sheriff Shooting: Man Shot By Deputy Near AutoParts Store IDed

GOLDEN, CO -- The Jefferson Co. Sheriff's Dept. released more information about the police-involved shooting that killed a 25-year-old man Wednesday afternoon. Police said Austin Dunsmore was shot by a sheriff's deputy and was dead at the scene near an auto-parts store parking lot when emergency medical technicians arrived.

According to the sheriff's office, a deputy responded to a 911 call reporting a reckless driver of a black Audi sedan on east-bound C-470. The caller reported the car was speeding and passing cars on the shoulder of the road. The Audi then exited onto north bound Kipling Parkway, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

"A deputy located the unoccupied Audi parked at an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store located in the southeast corner of South Kipling Parkway and West Chatfield Ave," the statement read. "The deputy observed the driver come out of the store and contacted him in the parking lot. The deputy repeatedly instructed the driver to stop, but he refused to comply with the deputy’s instructions and instead jumped into the driver’s seat of the Audi. The deputy continued to the driver’s side door of the Audi and during that contact, a confrontation occurred resulting in the deputy shooting the driver."

The Audi rolled out of the parking lot across Kipling and came to rest on the west side embankment, the statement said.

The case will be investigated by the Jefferson County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT team), which will conduct an independent review, as it does of the circumstances involved in all officer involved shootings, said JeffCo Sheriff's Dept. Spokesman Mark Techmeyer. The CIRT team is comprised of investigators from various Jefferson County law enforcement agencies uninvolved in the incident, according to Techmeyer.

The deputy involved in the shooting has been placed on routine administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

JeffCo Sheriff released a booking photo of Dunmore, but did not elaborate on any previous arrests in the area. However, the Sheriff's website archives showed that Dunsmore had been taken into custody Aug. 9 for allegedly possessing a weapon. Whether he was charged was not available.

Image Courtesy Jefferson Co. Sheriff's Dept.