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Christopher Charles Derby

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/02/2021

Location : Eastbound Interstate 76 off-ramp at Sheridan Boulevard

City : Arvada

County : Jefferson

State : Colorado

Agency : Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Tim Dreith

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during shooting incident

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 09/02/2021, 33-year-old Christopher Charles Derby was shot and killed by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Dreith at the eastbound Interstate 76 off-ramp to Sheridan Boulevard in Arvada.
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At approximately 11:59 a.m., a female deputy was dispatched after witnesses reported a man standing near a motorcycle and waving a handgun. Highway workers told the deputy the man had walked north on Sheridan Boulevard. One worker recognized him as Derby. The motorcycle had no license plate and police determined it had been reported stolen in Westminster months earlier.
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Dreith arrived as a cover officer. At approximately 12:20 p.m., Derby returned to the motorcycle and Dreith began speaking with him while another deputy continued checking the motorcycle. Derby told Dreith he had been riding the motorcycle when it broke down.
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Body-camera footage showed Derby reach toward a backpack on the motorcycle. Dreith told him to leave the backpack alone. Derby began walking away. Dreith told him the motorcycle was stolen and grabbed his arm. Derby pushed Dreith away and said the motorcycle was not stolen.
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The bodycam showed Derby pull a handgun from his waistband and point it toward Dreith. The sequence happened within seconds: at 34 seconds into the recorded contact Dreith told Derby the motorcycle was stolen; at 35 seconds Derby pushed him away; at 36-37 seconds Derby drew the gun; at 38 seconds Dreith began firing; and at 41 seconds Dreith fired his final round.
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Dreith fired 11 rounds. Investigators determined that one of Dreith’s bullets struck Derby’s right hand and his Taurus PT709 9mm handgun, severely damaging the weapon and propelling it from his hand.
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The autopsy documented 10 gunshot wounds and two graze wounds. Most of the bullet trajectories were from back to front. Wounds included Derby’s posterior shoulder, upper and lower back, buttock, hip, thigh, foot and hand. He died from multiple gunshot wounds; the death was ruled a homicide.
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Bodycam review showed that as Derby turned away during the shooting, his handgun was knocked from his hand and was airborne. The deputies did not perceive this during the shooting and initially believed the gun remained beneath or near Derby. The handgun was located several feet away approximately 2 minutes and 43 seconds after the shooting.
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The recovered Taurus had one round chambered and six rounds remaining in the magazine. Laboratory testing determined that the handgun had been functional before it was struck by Dreith’s bullet.
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The First Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team investigated the shooting, led by Arvada Police Commander Anthony Baros. The investigation was submitted to the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office on 11/05/2021.
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On 04/29/2022, District Attorney Alexis King ruled Dreith’s shooting legally justified and declined criminal charges. The DA concluded that the bodycam showed Derby pulling the handgun and turning its barrel toward Dreith at close range before Dreith fired.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Tim Dreith was the sole deputy identified as firing at Derby. No verified prior fatal shooting, significant disciplinary finding, criminal case or civil-rights judgment involving Dreith was located for this update.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.denverpost.com/2021/09/03/arvada-deputy-shooting-sheridan-i76/
https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/interstate-76-officer-involved-shooting-sheridan-boulevard/
https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/man-shot-and-killed-by-jefferson-county-deputy-near-i-76-and-sheridan-blvd
https://coloradosun.com/2021/09/02/jefferson-county-sheriff-shooting/
https://firstda.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CIRT-09-02-2021-Decision-Letter-PDF.pdf