A man was shot and killed on Christmas Eve after he was confronted by officers with the Colorado State Patrol and the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. The incident brought the total number of fatal police shootings in Boulder County in 2023 to three, the most since 2016. The Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Efren Inda, 50.
At approximately 11:40 a.m. on Dec. 24, a trooper from the Colorado State Patrol stopped to assist a motorist on U.S. 36 near the McCaslin Boulevard exit, according to a news release from the state patrol. The trooper noticed bullet holes in the window of the vehicle, backed away and called for backup, the news release said. Deputies with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office then arrived on the scene.
Officers talked Inda out of the car before he grabbed a firearm and pointed it at the officers, according to the news release. Officers then shot him and he died on the scene. No officers were physically injured. They have been placed on administrative leave. The shooting is being investigated by the Boulder County Investigation Team, a group of law enforcement officials from other jurisdictions that investigates use-of-force incidents.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has been involved in at least two other fatal shootings in the last decade, according to the records maintained by the District Attorney’s Office for the 20th Judicial District. The fatal shooting was at least the third last year in Boulder County. In July 2023, City of Boulder police officers fatally shot a 36-year-old man after responding to a domestic violence call. The call was made by a woman seeking help after receiving threats from the man. Earlier in December, city officers shot a woman near the North Boulder Rec Center. The incident occurred after officers responded to a call reporting that a woman had pointed a gun at a man as he was driving out of the recreation center, according to city officials.