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Man shot and killed by police in Summit Cove had a gun and was the subject of numerous calls to law enforcement over the past 24 hours, sheriff says

Law enforcement officials gather information after an officer-involved shooting in Summit Cove on Sunday, July 9.
Jason Connolly/For the Summit Daily News

Editor’s note: This page is no longer being updated. Find the article about Sunday’s shooting here.

4:07 p.m. All roads in Summit Cove have reopened, according to a Facebook post by the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, which adds that “an ongoing police presence will remain as the investigation continues.”

2:23 p.m. Both officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation, according to a post on the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. The post states that both the Sheriff’s Office deputy and Dillon Police Department officer shot at the man after he pointed a gun at them.



11:49 a.m. Monica Vasquez, the victim’s aunt who witnessed the shooting, said he was carrying a BB gun and that officers fired multiple shots. These details have not been confirmed by police, who say the victim was carrying a handgun.

11:35 a.m. Monica Vasquez said her nephew was struggling with his mental health and that the family called police for help. “He just lost his way because of mental illness,” she said. “That needs to be talked about.” She added that “Summit County police have let us down.”



11:24 a.m. Monica Vasquez identified the victim as 18-year-old Charlie Foster, who she said was her nephew. Police have not confirmed the identity of the victim. Vasquez said Foster graduated from Summit County High School in the spring and was planning to continue his education by studying real estate.

11:05 a.m. FitzSimons says the emergency alerts that were missing location and cause information as well as the alert that warned to close windows and doors were sent in error by the Summit County 911 Center.

11 a.m. FitzSimons said a Sheriff’s Office deputy and Dillon Police Department officer were involved in the shooting. It’s not clear which official discharged their firearm. No arrests have been made.

10:58 a.m. The male who was killed was carrying a firearm, according to FitzSimons, who said it was a handgun. He cautioned that this is an ongoing investigation and that preliminary information could change as the investigation continues.

10:55 a.m. FitzSimons added that the SMART team, which handles mental-health related incidents, has been involved with the man over the past three weeks, saying that the individual was not determined to be a danger to themselves or others and that he refused voluntary services from the team.

10:49 a.m. Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons said the male who was killed in the shooting was the subject of a number of calls to law enforcement beginning at 11:53 p.m. Saturday and ending at 7:39 a.m. Sunday with a “shots fired” call.

10:04 a.m. Officers continue to have the intersection of Summit Drive and Sunlight Drive as well as Summit Drive and Idlewild Drive blocked off. Cars are passing through, but officers are speaking with drivers before they do so. In a Facebook post, police are still asking residents to avoid the area but state there is no ongoing threat.

9:43 a.m. Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons confirmed a person is dead and that a law enforcement officer pulled the trigger. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation will be investigating the shooting. We’re expecting another update in about 30 minutes. (Editor’s note: This has been updated to reflect that it is unknown which law enforcement officer discharged their weapon.)

9 a.m. Police have the area blocked off near the intersection of Idlewild Drive and Summit Drive in Summit Cove. For those who aren’t familiar, the Summit Cove neighborhood is in an unincorporated area of the county along U.S. Highway 6 between Dillon and Keystone.

8:51 a.m. The shelter-in-place order has been lifted, but police are still asking residents to avoid the area in Summit Cove because of the investigation into the shooting.

8:45 a.m. The shelter-in-place order has been lifted, according to a post on the Summit County Government Facebook page.

Original story:

Police are investigating a shooting in Summit Cove, Summit County Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons confirmed Sunday morning.

FitzSimons said the shooting involved an officer and advised all residents to avoid the area.

The news followed a pair of emergency alerts that lit up county residents’ cellphones just before 8 a.m. Sunday.

The first alert did not contain a location or cause, but the Summit County Office of Emergency Management followed that up with a warning to Summit Cove residents to shelter in place and close all windows and doors “due to a police emergency.”

“Take immediate shelter indoors,” the alert stated. “Close all windows and doors. Completely turn off any heating and air conditioning systems.”


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