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No charges after fatal shooting involving Weld County deputies

Body camera footage shows Steven Kielian pointing a gun at deputies prior to him being shot, the DA said in a decision letter.

WELD COUNTY, Colo. — Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke issued a letter and report this week to Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams and informed him that five employees involved in a fatal shooting in March would not be prosecuted for their involvement.

The shooting happened on March 26 and after reviewing a report from the 19th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), Rourke determined that charges would not be filed against the four deputies and one sergeant from the Weld County Sheriff’s Office who were involved.

>The video above aired on the day of the incident

A woman reported on March 26 that her boyfriend Steven Kielian broke into her home in rural Weld County and assaulted her, according to the DA's letter.

She reported that there were guns and knives in the home which Kielian had access to since he was inside.

RELATED: Suspect shot, killed by Weld County deputies Friday identified

The woman said they were involved in a relationship but said earlier in the day she had kicked Kielian out of her home and went to work. She came home to find that he had broken into her home, the letter says.

She confronted him and things became physical, according to the letter, and that was when she called 911, according to the letter.

When deputies arrived at the home, they spotted Kielian in the doorway, the letter says. He refused to obey their commands, and according to the letter, a deputy fired a less-lethal round which struck Kielian causing him to retreat back inside the home.

Eventually, he reappeared and exited the home to the east side and appeared to be holding a water bottle, the letter says. At this time, because deputies could see his hands they did not believe he was a threat, the letter says. They gave commands for him to move to the north, according to the letter.

RELATED: Suspect fired 3 times at deputy who won't be charged in fatal shooting, DA says

Not long after, however, Kielian jumped a fence and ran from deputies, according to the letter. At this point, they "observed Kielian's motion as if he was taking a handgun shooting position," the letter says. As that happened, they also heard a gunshot, according to the letter.

At that time, two deputies and a sergeant discharged their weapons, the letter says. Kielian was struck and fell to the ground, according to the letter.

They ordered him to move onto his stomach with his hands at his sides so that they could assist him with his gunshot wounds, the letter says. Instead, he grabbed a gun that was on the ground next to him and pointed it toward deputies, the letter says. In response, four deputies fired their weapons, according to the letter.

According to the DA, body-worn camera footage shows Kielian threatening the officers with the gun prior to him being shot and killed.

Kielian had a long criminal history dating back about 15 years to when he was a juvenile, the letter says. Between 2007 and 2015, Kielian had been contacted by law enforcement over nine different times by several agencies in the Northern Colorado/Wyoming area.

At the time of the incident, he was wanted on warrants unrelated to the reported break-in, the letter says.

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