The Oyler Griffin

PUEBLO, CO — Pueblo police shot and killed a 27-year-old man on Sept. 5 after responding to a reported domestic disturbance that officers said involved weapons, threats and the kidnapping of an infant. The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Elijah Fowlkes.

Police said the incident unfolded late Saturday evening near West 10th Street and Grand Avenue after officers were flagged down about a disturbance in the 400 block of West Ninth Street. According to the department, officers were told that the suspect had a handgun, was threatening to use it against a woman inside the home and was making threats against anyone who approached.

Police say officers found an armed suspect threatening a woman and infant

In a Sept. 6 news release, the Pueblo Police Department said officers learned there was an active restraining order protecting the woman and the couple’s infant child. Officials said they requested additional units and set up a perimeter around the block while they watched the residence and developed a plan.

The department said the situation escalated when the suspect left the home while carrying the infant. Police described that act as kidnapping in the release. Officers said they then followed him to a parking lot at West 10th Street and Grand Avenue, where he stopped and began reaching into a backpack.

Officers gave repeated commands for him to put the infant down and stop reaching into the bag, according to the release. Police said he set the infant in a stroller nearby but continued reaching into the backpack, prompting the shooting.

Shooting near West 10th Street and Grand Avenue turned the focus to the backpack

Police said one officer fired a department-issued gun and struck Fowlkes. Officers then checked on the infant and began life-saving measures on the suspect at the scene. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The exact sequence matters because police tied the shooting to Fowlkes’ actions in the parking lot, especially his repeated movement toward the backpack after commands from officers. Officials did not say in the release what, if anything, was inside the backpack or whether a weapon was recovered at the scene.

The woman was taken to a hospital as a precaution, but she was discharged without serious injuries, police said. The infant was not hurt.

Coroner identifies Elijah Fowlkes and confirms the death location

The Pueblo County Coroner’s Office said Fowlkes died after the shooting near West 10th Street and Grand Avenue. That identification came after police publicly described the man only as a suspect in the domestic disturbance and kidnapping allegations.

The coroner’s confirmation provided the first named identification of the man killed in the confrontation. Police did not release additional details about Fowlkes’ relationship to the woman beyond describing the incident as domestic in nature and noting the restraining order.

Authorities also have not said how long the parties were connected to the residence or what led up to the reported disturbance before officers arrived. For now, the public account centers on the emergency response, the infant’s safe recovery and the fatal confrontation in the parking lot.

Woman discharged, infant unharmed after tense domestic call

Police said the woman was taken to the hospital after the incident but left without serious injuries. The infant was also unhurt, according to the release, and officers immediately focused on the child’s safety once the shooting occurred.

The department’s account suggests officers were dealing with a fast-moving domestic emergency rather than a longer standoff. They arrived to a report involving weapons, then established a perimeter, then confronted a suspect who had left with the baby.

Officials did not say whether the woman had been in the residence when officers first arrived or whether anyone else was present. They also did not provide details on whether the infant had been in immediate danger before the child was placed in the stroller.

Officers placed on leave as critical-incident team investigates

The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, a standard step in many police shootings while the facts are reviewed. The 10th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team has taken over the investigation.

That team is expected to examine the shooting, the officers’ actions and the circumstances that led from the domestic disturbance call to the fatal encounter. Police have not said how many officers fired, whether body camera footage exists or when more information may be released.

For Pueblo investigators, the case now involves both the alleged kidnapping and the use of deadly force by police. The initial release lays out the sequence, but the review process will determine what additional evidence supports each step in the encounter.