Death by Cop 2021-2025
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John Paz
Age : 33
Gender : Male
Race : Latino/a/e
Date : 08/08/2022
Location : 500 block of Ponderosa Drive
City : Colorado Springs
County : El Paso
State : Colorado
Agency : El Paso County Sheriff's Office; Fountain Police Department
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Suicide
Event : Suicide under police duress
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 08/07/2022, at approximately 5:07 p.m., El Paso County Sheriff's Office deputies and a Fountain Police Department officer responded to a reported domestic violence shooting at a residence in the 500 block of Ponderosa Drive in the Security-Widefield area. As law enforcement officers arrived, they immediately came under gunfire.
Deputy Andrew Peery was fatally shot during the initial exchange of gunfire. Officers established a perimeter around the residence while additional law enforcement personnel responded. During the incident, a woman inside the home was also found dead from a gunshot wound.
After several hours, members of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team entered the residence and found 33-year-old John Paz dead from a gunshot wound. Authorities reported that Paz had been armed during the confrontation. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation led the investigation into the shootings.
Investigators later identified the second homicide victim as Paz's wife, Rachael Paz. The El Paso County Coroner ruled that she died from a gunshot wound. Investigators concluded that the incident began as a domestic violence homicide before deputies arrived at the residence.
