Micah Flick would have been celebrating the 11th anniversary of joining the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on Monday but instead, the department is mourning the officer’s death after a gunman opened fire on him, killing the father of 7-year-old twins.
Flick was one of three officers shot in Colorado Springs on Monday while investigating a motor vehicle theft. The circumstances surrounding the shooting are not yet clear, but Fox News reported that there was an exchange of gunfire and that the suspect died at the scene. A bystander was also shot during the incident.
The shooting took place in an area just east of downtown Colorado Springs, described as a normally quiet mixed residential and commercial area. Police have yet to release information about the suspect or the exact circumstances that led to the shooting.
Micah Flick is now the third sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty in Colorado in the past five weeks. As Fox News noted, a Douglas County deputy, Zach Parrish, was killed on New Year’s Eve in what police called an “ambush-style” attack. Heath Gumm, a deputy with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, was killed on January 24 while responding to an assault, the report added.
Witnesses described the Colorado Springs shooting as a chaotic scene. Jason Adams, a 52-year-old who lives near the shooting, said he ran to the scene and described it as a “war zone,” the New York Post reported. A police command post remained on the scene for hours after the shooting, with the scene filled with emergency responders and news crews, the report added.
As news of Micah Flick’s death spread, condolences came pouring in for the man described as a model police officer. Police departments across the country sent condolences to Flick’s family and fellow officers.
Deputy Micah Flick Killed In Colorado Springs Police Shooting, Three Officers Injured https://t.co/K4zvNGopvg
— Rachel Middleton (@NewswithRachel) February 6, 2018
There has not yet been word from Micah Flick’s family, though politicians across the state are mourning his death. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper called on the state to come together in the wake of the tragedy, but also to demand an end to violence and say “enough is enough.” He also called on the people of the state to support police officers in what has become a trying time for them.
