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Man shot in north Durango apartment; suspect remains on the loose

Victim flown to Colorado Springs hospital with multiple gunshot wounds
Durango Police Department keeps the scene of a shooting secure Wednesday that happened earlier in the morning at Red Cliff Apartments in north Durango. The suspect remained at large as of Wednesday afternoon. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

A man was shot multiple times early Wednesday at the Red Cliff Apartments in north Durango, according to a news release from the Durango Police Department.

The shooting happened just after 12:45 a.m. at 5800 Main Ave. When officers arrived, they found a man inside an apartment with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the release.

The suspect, who remains at large, is described as a white man in his mid- to late-20s, about 5 feet 9 inches or 5 feet 10 inches, with a small build, short blond hair and stubble facial hair, wearing baggy clothing with a white flat-brim hat and possibly possessing a white backpack.

The Durango Police Department released these photos of a “person of interest” in a shooting early Wednesday at the Red Cliff apartments. (Courtesy of Durango Police Department)
Several law enforcement agencies are investigating a shooting that happened early Wednesday at Red Cliff Apartments in north Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)

He was last seen leaving the area southbound on foot.

“The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous,” the release said.

The victim, who was identified by police, was taken to Mercy Hospital and later flown to Centura-Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs with serious injuries.

Several residents of the sprawling apartment complex said they slept through the shooting, but one resident said he happened to be outside when it happened.

The man, who requested anonymity because he feared for his safety with the suspect on the loose, said he saw the alleged shooter outside the victim’s apartment door. He then heard a gunshot and glass break.

The man said he hid behind a car as the suspect fled. He then called police, but he didn’t check on the man inside the apartment because he wasn’t sure who had fired the shots.

Another resident, who also requested anonymity for fear of his safety, said the victim kept to himself. The man said he never saw anyone else coming or going from the apartment, so it was unusual that someone showed up at the victim’s doorstep in the middle of the night.

Detectives with Durango police and agents with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation were on scene Wednesday.

Anyone with information about the incident, including any doorbell camera footage, is asked to contact DPD detectives at 375-4750.

The police department said lower-level priority calls to the DPD may have delayed response times Wednesday because of resources going toward the crime scene investigation.

shane@durangoherald.com

An investigator enters an apartment where a shooting happened early Wednesday at Red Cliff Apartments in north Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)
Crime scene tape marks the apartment where a shooting happened early Wednesday at Red Cliff Apartments in north Durango. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)


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