Colorado gunman ID’d as US veteran with a grudge
Posted Dec 31, 2017 10:45 am.
Last Updated Dec 31, 2017 5:37 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A man identified by a law enforcement official as the gunman who killed a suburban Denver sheriff’s deputy and wounded four others early Sunday posted repeated online rants against law enforcement in the area.
The law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Matthew Riehl was the man who shot the five deputies and two civilians as the officers responded to a complaint at the apartment in Douglas County. The official had been briefed on the investigation but spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Riehl was reportedly killed during the shootout with police.
The deputy sheriff who died has been identified as Zackari Parrish. He was 29 years old.
A YouTube user identified as Matthew Riehl posted a YouTube video Dec. 13 calling for the firing of Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock and railing against him in highly personal terms. Riehl wears an Iraq combat veteran hat in the post; a National Guard spokeswoman told KUSA-TV that Riehl served briefly in Iraq.
The shooting happened at the Copper Canyon Apartments in Highlands Ranch. The landscaped apartment complex is 16 miles (28 kilometres) south of Denver. Residents in the vicinity were advised to stay inside and avoid exterior walls and windows.
