Police say a GMC Yukon fled, crashed into a garage, and a passenger opened fire before being shot.
WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — An Edgewater Police Department officer exchanged gunfire with a man after a crash in Wheat Ridge late Saturday morning, police said, and the man later died at a hospital. The officer was not hurt. The encounter began in Edgewater and spilled into Wheat Ridge within minutes.
Authorities say the incident matters now because it moved quickly from a routine contact to a multijurisdiction crash scene and shooting in a residential block. Edgewater police identified the man as 48-year-old Barry Michael Sullivan on Monday. Investigators from Colorado’s First Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team are reviewing the use of force while Wheat Ridge police reconstruct the collisions. The driver of the SUV, identified as 36-year-old Amber Michelle O’Neal, was booked on outstanding warrants after treatment for minor injuries, police said. No officers were injured.
According to statements released since the weekend, an Edgewater officer spotted a GMC Yukon around 10:30 a.m. Saturday near West 24th Avenue and Pierce Street in Edgewater. When the officer attempted to contact the driver, the Yukon accelerated away. The officer did not initiate a pursuit, police said. About eight minutes later, the Yukon collided with a Honda Pilot near West 32nd Avenue and Pierce Street in Wheat Ridge, then continued and crashed into the door of a nearby residential garage just north of the intersection. As the Edgewater officer moved in to check on those involved, a male passenger exited the Yukon, retrieved a gun from the vehicle and fired. The officer returned fire, striking the man. “The officer was not injured,” Edgewater Police said in a written statement.
Police identified the wounded passenger Monday as Sullivan and said he was hit at least once. He was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and later died. Investigators said O’Neal, the driver of the Yukon, was transported for minor injuries and then arrested on active warrants that included third-degree assault, vehicular eluding and resisting arrest. The driver of the Honda Pilot, a man who was struck during the earlier collision at 32nd and Pierce, was also taken to a hospital with injuries described as minor. Officials did not release the officer’s name, citing standard practice during the active investigation. The number of rounds fired and the make of the firearm recovered from the scene were not released. It remains unknown why the officer first attempted to contact the Yukon before it sped off.
The shooting capped a rapid chain of events in a part of Wheat Ridge lined with single-family homes and alley garages. Edgewater and Wheat Ridge border along Pierce Street, with Edgewater to the south. The First Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team customarily investigates law enforcement uses of deadly force in Jefferson County. In recent years, the team has handled several metro-area shootings and releases findings after prosecutors review the case file. Police said the Edgewater officer was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard following a shooting. Officials also said crash investigators are mapping the scene of the initial collision between the Yukon and the Honda Pilot to determine speeds and impact angles before the SUV entered the garage.
Procedurally, the Critical Incident Response Team will collect body-worn camera footage, interview witnesses, examine physical evidence and produce a report for review by the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office. As of Tuesday, no charging decisions had been announced related to the shooting. Wheat Ridge police will handle any traffic or crash-related cases from the collisions. Records indicate O’Neal’s warrants predated Saturday’s incident; separate proceedings are expected in Jefferson County. An autopsy will determine Sullivan’s official cause and manner of death, with timing for the report not yet released. Officials did not say when they plan to release the officer’s name or additional video.
Neighbors described hearing a crash, then “rapid pops” just before emergency sirens converged on the block. One resident said she looked out to see a garage door caved in and officers moving people away from the driveway. Another neighbor said he saw a man lying near the front of the garage as officers rendered aid. Police placed evidence markers across the driveway and taped off Pierce Street as tow trucks removed the damaged vehicles. By afternoon, investigators remained at the home, photographing the garage door and nearby fencing while patrol units rerouted traffic around West 32nd Avenue.
As of Tuesday evening, police said the officer remained on administrative leave while the Critical Incident Response Team continues interviews and video reviews. Wheat Ridge police are expected to provide a procedural update later this week. No additional public briefings were scheduled Tuesday, and authorities said further information will be released when investigative steps allow.
Author note: Last updated January 27, 2026.