COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — After using meth and heroin, Justin Kula said he thought he was being robbed when three people approached him at gunpoint, according to an arrest affidavit.
Those three people were Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC) parole officers. While driving a stolen Lexus, Kula fatally ran one over and injured a second officer, according to the affidavit.
According to body camera footage reviewed by a Colorado Springs Police detective, the parole officers never identified themselves as law enforcement, or parole officers. The officers arrived in unmarked cars and without emergency lights, according to surveillance video the detective watched. The detective wrote two of the three officers were definitely wearing vests, but it wasn't clear what was written on them, based on the footage.
The Department of Corrections has not explained much about what happened. The arrest affidavit also offers different reasons as to why officers went to find Kula that day.
One parole officer said Kula's ex-wife called them to report concerns about Kula's health, because he was suffering from gangrene. Another parole officer said an unidentified female contacted them with concerns about Kula's drug use, the affidavit states.
The detective wrote parole officers approached Kula while he was in the driver's seat of a parked car. They said, "Don't! Don't move it! Don't shift it. Don't," according to body camera footage the detective watched, but never identified themselves as law enforcement. Kula then went into reverse, hitting one officer, and then driving over Sandoval, before fleeing.
"Parole Officer Guerin Sandoval can be seen in very close proximity to Mr. Kula and is wearing a ballistic vest with marking indicating she was a parole officer and giving Mr. Kula commands that a reasonable person would associate with commands given by a law enforcement officer," the affidavit read.
Police said Kula told them he had no idea the people were parole officers, and he did not know anyone had died, according to the affidavit.
"Mr. Kula became seemingly emotional and stated he did not believe anyone had died. Mr. Kula stated he never wanted to hurt anyone but simply wanted to flee the scene as quickly as possible because he was scared...," the affidavit states.
Kula had an arrest warrant issued on Aug. 31 for a parole violation. Court records show Colorado Springs Police arrested Kula for a parole violation on June 14 and El Paso County deputies arrested Kula on Aug. 20 for a parole violation.
Kula was released from prison on Feb. 15, according to a DOC spokesperson. He is being held on suspicion of manslaughter, causing a fatal crash, and assault.
Christine Guerin Sandoval was 50 years old.