BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
The Custer County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) has reported that as of 6:11pm Wednesday the suspect in the six-hour-stand-off in Silvercliff is now in custody and the shelter-in-place order has been lifted.
No injuries have been reported.
According to KKTV11, Sheriff Smith identified the suspect as 49-year-old James Adams.
Adams is being held at the Fremont County Jail on several charges.
The incident began shortly after 9:45 a.m. Wednesday when CCSO deputies responded to a “low priority” call on Rocky Ridge Road northeast of Silver Cliff. A vehicle had been left in the middle of a road. Deputies called in a tow truck to move the vehicle. Upon arrival, CCSO said deputies reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. that they and the tow truck driver were under gunfire. The gunman was firing from a house near the scene.
Assistance was coordinated from several law enforcement agencies including the US Marshall, the Colorado State Patrol and the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office. A Chaffee County armored vehicle was also deployed. By 3:30 pm the scene was declared “contained” with negotiations, lasting for several hours. A Ph.D clinician as well as a chaplain aided in negotiations as the suspect vacillated between lucid and agitated with random shots continuing to be fired throughout the ordeal.
Around 6pm, the Sheriff stated that gas was introduced into the home limiting the gunman’s actions, whereupon he peacefully surrendered.
In a Facebook post from the CCSO, https://www.facebook.com/reel/2609054446283594 Sheriff Smith provided a summary and conclusion to a tactical incident that ended with no injuries or loss of life. He said that he is incredibly proud of and thankful for the men and women that serve in the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Smith also stated he was thankful for the SWAT team sent in to help by the Chaffee County Sheriff with support of the US Marshalls Office SWAT team among others.
More updates will be provided as they come in.
