SWAT team sharp-shooter takes down gunman who was using woman as a human shield

  • Officers responded to calls for a suspicious person just after 8:30 a.m.
  • The suspect took an unknown number of hostages and tried to use a woman as a human shield while attempting a getaway
  • He was taken down without the female hostage being hurt, there were no other injuries

By Ryan Gorman

Published: 13:40 EST, 13 January 2014 | Updated: 17:07 EST, 13 January 2014

A Denver hostage situation came to a dramatic end Monday morning when a SWAT officer shot the suspect while he tried to use a woman as a human shield.

Police tell MailOnline that shortly after arriving after 8:30 a.m. at a 7-eleven on the western fringes of the city, the suspect took hostages and appeared to be armed. He was shot less than an hour later.

No hostages were harmed during the incident and police could not confirm how many people were held – but did say the suspect is in critical condition at a local hospital. KDVR reported the man was shot in the shoulder.

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Right before he was shot: The suspect attempted to make a getaway using this woman as a human shield - a SWAT officer shot him only seconds later

Right before he was shot: The suspect attempted to make a getaway using this woman as a human shield - a SWAT officer shot him only seconds later

A police spokesperson told MailOnline the initial 911 call came for ‘a suspicious person.’ No motive has yet been established, but a witness claimed the hostage taker attempted to rob the convenience store.

‘The guy tried to rob the place and he did not hurt anybody,’ a bail bondsman located next to the 7-Eleven willing only to be identified as Dennis told MailOnline.

The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, made a possibly fatal error when less than an hour into the situation he took one of the hostages outside.

He also either had a handgun in his hoodie or pretended to have a handgun in his hoodie, according to the spokesperson.

Massive response: Police and paramedics swarmed the western Denver 7-Eleven shortly after 8:30 Monday morning

Massive response: Police and paramedics swarmed the western Denver 7-Eleven shortly after 8:30 Monday morning

On standby: Amulances sit idling next to SWAT personnel plotting how to bring the standoff to an end

On standby: Amulances sit idling next to SWAT personnel plotting how to bring the standoff to an end

‘At one point he tried to use a woman as a human shield’ while making a getaway attempt, the police spokesperson said. 

When police made it clear they weren’t allowing him to get away, ‘he tried to drag the female back into the store,’ the spokesperson added.

A SWAT team member immediately fired a shot and officers moved in to arrest him, the woman was unharmed.

The police spokesperson was unable to confirm if the suspect was armed or where he was shot, but said an announcement with further details should be made by the end of the day.

A tight perimeter: Roads were shut and schools were locked down Monday morning for roughly an hour

A tight perimeter: Roads were shut and schools were locked down Monday morning for roughly an hour

Resolution: Armed officers storm the kidnapping suspect just after he is shot

Resolution: Armed officers storm the kidnapping suspect just after he is shot

Local reports indicated the man may have been shot in the shoulder, Dennis said he saw the man as he was being taken away – he had been shot in the face.

The 7-Eleven sits on a busy road in a stretch of businesses near two parks. 

A McDonald’s across the street from the convenience store was evacuated for about an hour while police worked to end the standoff, an employee who answered the phone told MailOnline.

Five area schools were also placed on lockdown until the situation was resolved, according to KDVR,