ELIZABETH, Colorado — An Elbert County Sheriff's Office deputy was injured and a man is dead after a shooting in an Elizabeth apartment building Tuesday morning.
A shelter-in-place order was issued at 9 a.m. Tuesday for the area of 175 Spruce St. due to "law enforcement activity" near Fitzgerald Apartments, the Town of Elizabeth said via Facebook.
In a media briefing about the order, authorities said an Elbert County sheriff's deputy was hit in his ballistic vest in an exchange of gunfire as sheriff's office deputies and Elizabeth Police officers approached a unit within the apartment building to conduct a search warrant.
"As they approached the door, the door was open and shots were fired," Elbert County Sheriff Tim Norton said at the briefing.
The nature of the search warrant was not shared, as the investigation is still ongoing.
The deputy suffered minor injuries and was released after being evaluated by medical personnel on scene, authorities said.
"He's a very seasoned deputy," Norton said. "He is a very strong, level-headed person. And my heart just dropped as soon as I heard shots fired and we had one hit."
The man who shot at deputies is dead, authorities said. He was the only person inside that unit, and residents in surrounding units were evacuated after shots were fired, according to Norton. The agencies on scene then contacted the Douglas County Regional SWAT team for assistance in resolving the situation, authorities said.
> Watch the full police briefing below:
Norton said that, although shootings like this are rare in Elbert County, more resources are needed.
"We have to be prepared for anything out here," Norton said. "It may not happen very often, which we're thankful for, but we have to be ready and prepared for it."
At 11:20 a.m., the Town of Elizabeth said the incident had been resolved, and residents would soon get an update saying the shelter-in-place order was lifted.
At least one deputy fired shots. That person has been placed on administrative leave.
Tuesday afternoon, 9NEWS spoke to Norton over the phone to talk about losing two deputies from the force with an already short staff.
"We're already shorthanded out here in the county," Norton said.
Norton said it can be difficult to recruit to Elbert County because the agency doesn't pay as much as some of the larger jurisdictions.
He said with the current deputies on staff, responses to calls may slow. This impact could be even greater this year as the office projects to respond to a record-breaking 17,000 calls for service by the end of the year.
"Without manpower and without not working everybody, you know, 12 hour shifts, which probably some of them are already doing that by being held over for answering calls for service," Norton said. "The only way you get it is get more people. That's the only way we're going to be able to stay ahead of the ballgame."
Norton said the hope is to recruit more deputies in the meantime while his staff is temporarily shorthanded.
