Body and dash camera footage released by Pueblo police on Monday revealed an encounter in which a suspect opened fire at officers before they fatally shot him in a Popeyes parking lot on June 19.
The incident unfolded at around 7:45 p.m. when officers responded to a report of an armed individual in the 1400 block of West U.S. Highway 50, as detailed in an initial news release from the Pueblo Police Department.
During a news conference on Monday, police disclosed a distressing call from a concerned citizen to police dispatch, recounting the sight of a man pointing a firearm out of a black Dodge Dart near a local business. The caller also provided the license plate number of the vehicle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRLaYiGYR4w
Subsequently, police located the vehicle outside Popeyes on U.S. 50.
The released body cam footage captured the tense moments as officers repeatedly commanded the suspect to raise his hands and cease reaching for items in the vehicle. After a short interval, one officer’s camera footage depicted gunfire emanating from the driver’s seat of the Dodge Dart. The officer swiftly sought cover before returning fire, with additional muzzle flashes evident from other officers at the scene.
A dash camera from a nearby cruiser provided another perspective, clearly showing the suspect brandishing a handgun and firing at the officers before being met with lethal return fire.
The deceased suspect was identified as 34-year-old Ronald Ray Valdez of Pueblo, according to the Pueblo County Coroner’s Office.
Despite emergency medical technicians rushing to the scene to aid Valdez, his injuries proved fatal.
Furthermore, the police disclosed bullet impacts on a patrol car in close proximity to the officers and recovered a Taurus handgun, along with six shell casings and drug paraphernalia consistent with fentanyl and opioids, from the suspect’s vehicle. The handgun had been reported stolen in mid-April, according to police.