CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE — A Cherry Hills Village police officer underwent surgery Tuesday morning after he was injured in a shootout with suspects in a home invasion late Monday night in Arapahoe County.
Police initially said they were searching for two men in the incident that happened at a home on Sedgwick Drive near Hampden Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, but Tuesday morning said they were looking for at least four suspects. No one is in custody.
Officer Cory Sack -- a 7 year veteran of the department -- was one of two officers who responded to the home after a 911 hangup call from inside the house at 10:50 p.m. Monday, according to Commander Patrick Weathers with the Cherry Hills Village Police Department.
The two officers responded to the home and found the door open. One officer went inside and saw two men. One officer and the two suspects exchanged gunfire.
"My initial officer that responded was confronted in the home by an armed suspect," said Cherry Hills Village Police Chief Michelle Tovrea. "Gunfire was exchanged."
It is unclear if either suspect was injured during the shooting, but both suspects ran away. Although only two men were seen inside the home, police said they were looking for four suspects.
The homeowner and family were able to get out of the house and to a safe location.
After the shooting, Sack was transported to Swedish Medical Center where he is stable and is being treated for injuries to his leg and ankle, according to Weathers.
He had surgery Tuesday morning.
Officer Sack, who is married with two children, was in "very good spirits for what has happened to him", according to Tovrea. He also has previous law enforcement experience in Elbert County.
"He does have several injuries to his leg and ankle, and they’re still doing some examinations on that, but fortunately for us, he’s still doing OK," Weathers said during a media briefing early Tuesday morning.
This is the first time an officer from the department has been shot in the line of duty, according to Tovrea.
"From what I have been told about the history of the department, we've never had an officer shot in the line of duty, this is the first time," she said.
Residents were told to shelter in place all night, but around 8:30 Tuesday morning were told they could resume normal activities.
A large search area was established and multiple agencies assisted with the search, according to Tovrea, but the search has since ended. A stolen car was located near the initial scene and police are trying to determine if it's related.
"All the evidence is being catalogued and taken in, so they’re getting ready to close this down and walking the victims through the home," Tovrea said during an interview with 9NEWS on Tuesday.
There is no clear description of the suspects other than they were wearing black. The homeowner does have security cameras that police are checking.
Several hundred homes received an emergency call informing them of the situation.
"We want to be cautious and make sure that we do what we need to do out here," Weathers said.
Several agencies including Greenwood Village, Denver, Jefferson County and Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office are assisting with the search and investigation.
Hampden Avenue was shut down from University Boulevard to Colorado Boulevard for hours for the search but reopened around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Cherry Hills Village is south of Denver in Arapahoe County. According to the city website, it is 6.5 square miles with approximately 6.000 residents. There are many gated communities in the city, but the home where the officer was shot is not in a gated community.
