A Cherry Hills Village police officer who was wounded while responding to a robbery back in August has been found justified in firing back, the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Officer Cory Sack, a 7-year veteran of the Cherry Hills Police Department, was critically wounded in the violent confrontation. Three weeks after he was shot once in each leg during the Aug. 20 shootout, Sack was released from the Swedish Medical Center.
Four teenage suspects were involved in the confrontation, which happened at a home on Sedgwick Drive near Hampden Avenue and Colorado Boulevard. Sack responded after someone inside the house called 911 and was heard saying “get in your room” and “get in the bathroom now!” before being disconnected.
Investigators later learned that four suspects went inside the home through the unlocked backdoor, the decision letter from the DA says. Two of them had guns, and police said the people who lived in the house were told to give up their valuables and open a safe in the master bedroom.
Police said $15,000 in cash and jewelry were stolen from the house, according to the letter.
When Sack arrived at the house, the letter said he heard a loud argument and pulled out his flashlight. That’s when he told investigators he saw a suspect wearing all dark clothing and a mask. That person started firing at the officer, according to the letter, hitting him in the left leg and right ankle.
Sack returned fire, hitting the suspect in the finger, according to the decision letter. He was able to key up his radio and say his call number, but he couldn’t walk due to a shattered femur.
Sack also lost his handgun during the exchange of gunfire, the letter said, and he crawled outside to avoid being shot again.
Two other officers found Sack on the front porch and bleeding from his leg, according to the letter. They applied a tourniquet.
The four suspects, meanwhile, had apparently left through the back door. Some of them left on foot and others took off in a white sedan, according to the DA.
A 17-year-old since identified as Angelo Alston has been charged as an adult in connection with the shooting and now faces 32 counts. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
The DA has found Sack justified in firing his service weapon while responding to the robbery due to his belief that his life was in danger.
This is the first time a Cherry Hills Village police officer has been wounded in the line of duty.
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