WESTMINSTER, Colo. (AP) - Investigators say a SWAT team officer was justified in the fatal shooting of a parolee who held a 13-year-old boy hostage for 18 hours in a suburban Denver home.
The Westminster Police Department said Tuesday the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office determined the officer used lawful and appropriate force during the Feb. 4 standoff in Arvada with 34-year-old Don Pooley. Arvada police had requested the SWAT team’s help during the standoff.
Pooley threatened to harm the teen several times, at one point telling a dispatcher, “you’re going to see bad things” unless police backed off.
The standoff began after police responded to a domestic dispute call. Authorities say Pooley fled and forced his way into a nearby home where the boy was alone.
The boy, who didn’t know Pooley, was unharmed.
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