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Lucas Antonio Salas

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 08/18/2021

Location : Thorncreek Golf Course, 13555 Washington Street

City : Thornton

County : Adams

State : Colorado

Agency : Thornton Police Department, Northglenn Police Department

Officer(s) :Charles Festi; Mikal Timm; Joshua Moreau

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after vehicle pursuit and foot pursuit onto golf course

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/18/2021, Northglenn Police Officer Charles Festi and Thornton Police Officer Mikal Timm killed 33-year-old Lucas Antonio Salas following a Northglenn police pursuit that ended at Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton. Northglenn Officer Joshua Moreau was directly involved throughout the pursuit and final confrontation but did not fire his gun.
The encounter began after the Colorado Bureau of Investigation asked Northglenn police to locate Salas. He had an active arrest warrant for a parole violation and was also being investigated in connection with the disappearance of 21-year-old Cheyenne Goins. Salas had not been charged with Goins's death when police encountered him. Investigators believed he might be staying at his stepmother's apartment complex at 301 E. Malley Drive and associated him with a blue 2003 Nissan Sentra.
On the morning of August 18, Northglenn Detective Paul Gesi located the Nissan at the apartment complex and watched Salas and three other people enter it. Gesi requested patrol officers to assist in making contact. Marked Northglenn police vehicles entered the parking lot with emergency lights and sirens activated and attempted to block the Nissan.
Salas drove the Nissan across landscaping and through a chain-link fence while police attempted to stop him. Officer Moreau pursued the Nissan as it traveled through Northglenn. According to Moreau and the subsequent investigation, near East 120th Avenue and Washington Street Salas leaned from the driver's window and fired toward Moreau's police vehicle. Moreau was not struck.
Police continued pursuing the Nissan north toward Thornton. The vehicle eventually went off the roadway and into a ditch near East 136th Avenue and Washington Street beside Thorncreek Golf Course. Salas got out and ran onto the golf course while the three other people remained with the vehicle.
Thornton officers joined Northglenn police at the golf course. Golfers and other civilians were still on the property. Festi, who had heard radio reports that shots had allegedly been fired toward Moreau, went to the clubhouse and asked staff to announce over the public-address system that everyone should go inside.
Moreau, Timm and Festi pursued Salas across the golf course. The later investigation included body-camera recordings from the officers and accounts from civilian witnesses. Witnesses reported seeing uniformed officers follow Salas for approximately 100 yards while repeatedly ordering him to stop and get onto the ground.
Moreau approached with a Taser while Timm initially planned to physically apprehend Salas and holstered his firearm as he closed the distance. Festi followed with his handgun drawn.
Body-camera footage documented the critical final encounter. According to the video evidence and subsequent investigation, Salas removed a handgun from his waistband when Timm was within arm's reach and fired toward Timm and Moreau. Moreau deployed his Taser and then drew his handgun but did not fire.
Timm fired three rounds. Festi fired four rounds. Salas was struck and fell to the ground. Officers immediately began providing medical aid before paramedics arrived. Salas was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center, where he died.
Investigators recovered a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson M&P handgun and magazine near Salas. Crime-scene investigators recovered one spent .40-caliber casing on the golf course, supporting the finding that Salas fired once during the final encounter. Three additional .40-caliber cartridge cases were recovered from the Nissan. Civilian witnesses also reported hearing an initial gunshot followed by a rapid series of additional shots.
The 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team conducted the investigation, led by Adams County Sheriff's Office detectives Dylan Lussier and Jamie Keefer. Investigators submitted their findings to the 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office on 12/22/2021.
On 05/09/2022, District Attorney Brian Mason issued a detailed decision letter and released body-camera evidence from the encounter. The DA concluded that Timm and Festi reasonably believed Salas presented an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury when he fired toward the officers and determined that both officers' use of deadly force was legally justified. Neither officer was criminally charged.
The later investigation also corrected the much thinner initial description that police and Salas simply "exchanged gunfire." It established specifically that Timm fired three rounds, Festi fired four, Moreau used his Taser but did not fire his handgun, and physical evidence indicated Salas fired one round during the confrontation on the golf course.
Salas's connection to the investigation involving Cheyenne Goins also became clearer after his death. Goins had been reported missing by her family on August 12. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation later said Salas was a person of interest and had been among the people who had contact with her around the time she disappeared. Her body was subsequently found in Conejos County. Salas died before any criminal case concerning her death could be brought against him.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://adamsbroomfieldda.org/userfiles/2358/files/DecisionLetterOIS08182021%281%29.pdf
https://www.westword.com/news/lucas-salas-police-shooting-video-cheyenne-goins-murder-update-14078777/
https://www.denverpost.com/2021/08/19/northglenn-police-shooting-thornton/
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/homicide-suspect-shot-by-police-in-thornton
https://www.denvergazette.com/2021/08/24/coroner-identifies-man-fatally-shot-by-police-at-thornton-golf-course-4fe1644a-0519-11ec-bb92-8b7e80205dde/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/thornton-police-shooting-northglenn-officer-involved/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/lucas-antonio-salas-thorncreek-golf-course/
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/cbi-missing-alamosa-woman-was-in-contact-with-man-killed-in-northglenn-police-shooting-the-night-she-went-missing
https://www.westword.com/news/cheyenne-goins-murder-lucas-salas-police-shooting-death-update-12196995/