Massive Teller County Manhunt Ends in Death of Suspect
Law Enforcement Agents Ambushed on Three Separate Occasions
Trevor Phipps
All law enforcement hands in the entire Pikes Peak region were on deck early last week after reports circulated, announcing that two Colorado State Troopers had been shot outside Woodland Park near a local hospital.
The news shocked area residents, who aren’t used to serious crimes in the Teller high country, and especially law officer shootings. Law enforcement agencies from across the state launched a massive and unprecedented manhunt to search for the suspect, as downtown Woodland Park turned into a sea of blue.
In the end, a tip from the public helped the deputies with the Teller County Sheriff’s Office in tracking down the suspect. Once deputies found the perpetrator, a gunfight ensued.
The suspect identified as Robert Richards from Loveland, CO was then shot by deputies several times on Aug. 25 at around 9:30 a.m., according to Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. Richards was later pronounced dead at the UCHealth Pikes Peak Regional Hospital at around noon.
The two state trooper officers injured from the near deadly ambush were later identified as Clark Tinan and Skylar Hoehn.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, the situation started on Aug. 25 at around 7:15 a.m. when a law officer initiated a traffic stop with a man driving a blue Subaru Impreza with obscured license plates at the intersection of Highway 24 and Piney Point Lane just west of downtown Woodland Park. As soon as the trooper exited his vehicle at the entrance of the Westwood Lakes Subdivision to contact the driver, the suspect opened fire.
The trooper was shot in the neck, shoulder and ribs, but he was still able to get back into his vehicle and report over the radio that he had been shot, and the suspect was fleeing the scene. Another trooper who was close by quickly responded to the area.
But as the second trooper entered the Westwood Lakes subdivision, the suspect was in the process of exiting and heading west on Highway 24. The suspect then opened fire and shot the second state trooper through his vehicle.
Shortly after the shooting occurred, hundreds of police officers from surrounding jurisdictions were notified. In addition, every law enforcement agent with the Woodland Park Police Department and the Teller County Sheriff’s Office (off duty and on duty) were summoned to search for the fleeing suspect.
“I will tell you this, if you shoot a Colorado State Trooper, the world is coming for you,” Colonel Matthew Packard, the Chief of the Colorado State Patrol said at the press conference, held shortly after the suspect was killed. “And that’s what happened today. And I am grateful for that response.”
The manhunt resulted in the locking down of the Westwood Lakes and Woodland West subdivisions. The manhunt ensued until the Teller County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from a resident in one of the locked-down subdivisions.
A resident called at 9:24 a.m. and told the sheriff’s office that a man matching the description of the suspect was a contractor doing work on a house nearby. Luckily, there were deputies already in the area.
“At 9:25 a.m. they located the vehicle and the suspect,” Sheriff Mikesell reported, at the press conference. “At 9:26 a.m. two minutes after the initial report to us, the suspect ambushed my deputies. At that point, the deputies returned fire striking the suspect.”
Don’t Mess with Teller County
After being shot by deputies, the suspect was quickly transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. The Teller County Coroner then released Richards’ name after the next of kin was notified.
Area law enforcement leaders are relieved at the outcome and believe this serves as a good message to those who may think twice about causing trouble in Teller Country.
“In Colorado, we have very good law enforcement officers,” Sheriff Mikesell said. “Our deputies are well-trained. And we will not allow someone in this county to ever attempt to take the lives of a deputy in this county.”
Since the case is currently under investigation many questions posed at the initial press conference were left unanswered. At press time, it was still not known if Richards had a criminal history or what his motive was for shooting at law enforcement agents.
When asked by the media if law enforcement had any idea why the suspect chose to shoot at the officers, the sheriff gave a quick response. “He was put down in a gunfight where he was attempting to kill one of my deputies,” Mikesell said. “So quite honestly, I really don’t have any sympathy for anybody at this point. This person actively tried to murder three different law enforcement officers in three different engagements within about a mile and a half apart.”
Moreover, the sheriff applauded the heroism of the law enforcement agents involved in the situation. He credits the state’s strong law enforcement training for the positive outcome.
In the end, both of the state troopers who were shot in the initial incident drove themselves to the hospital (which was right across Highway 24 from the first and second shootings). They were then able to walk themselves into the emergency room to get treatment.
According to the State Patrol, Trooper Tinan was released from the hospital later that day. Trooper Hoehn had serious injuries, but he is expected to recover. As of press time, he still was being treated at a hospital in Colorado Springs.
The two officers have 25 years of combined experience, according to the chief of the Colorado State Patrol.
Not the First Law Enforcement Ambush
Sadly, the incident retriggered memories of the fatal ambush of Teller County Deputy Brent Holloway in October 1995. Arson suspect Adam Cooper set a fire to lure law enforcement officers to the scene, intending to kill one of them. The Teller County Sheriff’s Office honors Deputy Holloway’s sacrifice annually at a memorial off Hybrook Road South in Divide. His story was also featured in a 2017 episode of the true-crime series Homicide Hunter, hosted by retired Colorado Springs homicide detective Joe Kenda.
