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Grand County deputy says he was forced to shoot suspect

WILL BUBLITZ
sky-hi daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado

Both the suspect in Monday’s shooting of a local man by a Grand County Sheriff’s deputy and the deputy have been identified.

The suspect is 23-year-old Christopher David Dalgarn (aka David Christopher North) of Granby, according to a press release from Grand County Sheriff Rod Johnson.

Dalgarn is reported to be in critical condition at St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Denver following surgery.



Deputy Rochalle Rooks of the Grand County Sheriff’s Office shot Dalgarn during Monday’s incident. He is currently on administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting, which is standard law enforcement procedure in shooting cases.

According to Johnson, the series of events that led to Dalgarn’s shooting by the deputy began about 7 p.m. Monday when a citizen telephoned Grand County Dispatch to report a “possibly intoxicated driver” near Granby on U.S. Highway 40 headed toward Tabernash in a black Ford Focus.



The 9-1-1 caller told the dispatcher that the vehicle was “swerving into oncoming traffic.”

Johnson said that “four to five witnesses” have since come forward to say they also saw the Ford Focus driving at “an extreme high rate of speed and making dangerous passes.”

Grand County Dispatch radioed the report of the reckless driver to officers in the area. A few minutes after the report was aired, Deputy Rooks spotted the suspect’s vehicle while he was patrolling near Tabernash.

Activating his patrol car’s overhead emergency lights and siren, Deputy Rooks attempted to pull over the speeding vehicle. Instead, it “took off” with the deputy in pursuit.

Johnson stated that during the pursuit it appeared to Deputy Rooks that the driver of the Ford Focus was “trying to intentionally hit other vehicles as well as run them off the road.” To stop what he believed to be attempts to endanger the lives of other motorists, Rooks took action.

“The deputy rammed his patrol car into the suspect vehicle in order to end the dangerous action of the suspect,” Johnson said.

Immediately after the collision, Deputy Rooks exited his damaged patrol car. Dalgarn, the driver of the Ford Focus, also climbed out.

“As soon of Deputy Rooks got out of his patrol car, Dalgarn charged at Deputy Rooks and an altercation ensued. Finally the deputy was forced to shoot Dalgarn,” Johnson said.

Dalgarn reportedly suffered gunshot wounds to the neck, abdomen and a finger.

After the shooting, Dalgarn was rushed to the Granby Medical Center and later flown by helicopter to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital, where he underwent surgery.

In his press release, Sheriff Johnson stated that the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office will decide what is the “appropriate action to be taken” pending the results of the investigation.


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