Suicidal man shot at Colorado Springs officers before being fatally shot

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A man who was reportedly suicidal sat in a truck with a gun to his head for almost an hour before a Dec. 14, 2024, officer-involved shooting in a parking lot on Astrozon Boulevard, which has been detailed in a release by the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).

The incident began around 9:45 p.m. on Dec. 14 when the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) received a call from a woman saying her husband, 33-year-old Dean Ackerman, was suicidal and holding a gun to his head. However, when deputies responded to the home, Ackerman was no longer on the scene.

Then, around 11 p.m., CSPD officers responded to the 3800 block of Astrozon Boulevard, near South Academy Boulevard, on a report of an active shooter. The caller stated that his cousin worked at a restaurant in the area that was being shot at. When officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as Ackerman, in a Dodge Ram truck who was holding a gun to his head.

Officers ordered Ackerman to drop the gun, at which point he started making suicidal statements. Officers began trying to de-escalate the situation and can be heard in released body-worn camera (BWC) footage asking Ackerman “please don’t do this” and telling him no one wants to see him hurt. Ackerman fired his gun several times inside the truck, and officers began evacuating nearby businesses.

For 55 minutes, officers tried to talk Ackerman down, all the while he kept sporadically firing the gun inside the truck. After nearly an hour, Ackerman got out of his truck with the gun pointed at his head, and officers fired a foam round into Ackerman’s stomach to try and get him to drop the gun. Shortly after, pepper spray balls were also used.

Ackerman fell to the ground, and after the pepper spray was used, he pointed his gun in the direction of two different groups of officers and fired twice. Officers returned fire, hitting Ackerman. Medical aid was provided, though Ackerman was declared dead on the scene. A .40 caliber handgun was recovered from the scene.