Thornton police officer shoots, kills armed suspect outside Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center

Police in Thornton investigated a shooting near the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center on Tuesday morning. One Thornton police officer was involved in the shooting with a suspect, identified as an adult male, who was rushed to the hospital and died.

The rec center is located in the 11100 block of Colorado Boulevard.

According to police, it all began when a Thornton police officer noticed a vehicle driving erratically near the intersection of E. 112th Avenue and Colorado Boulevard just before 8 a.m. When the officer tried to contact the driver, the adult male pulled over, but then ran away from the traffic stop.

That's when another Thornton police officer who came to assist saw the male driver in a nearby parking lot. That's when police said the suspect fired a gun at the officer, who then fired back, striking him. The suspect was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

The officer was not injured. The suspect has not been identified.