Free Motion to Continue - District Court of Colorado - Colorado

Springs officer slain

Case 1:04-cr-00429-MSK

Document 153-2

Filed 02/24/2006

Page 1 of 4

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Springs officer slain
Officer shot at close range while awaiting backup
By Felisa Cardona and Kirk Mitchell Denver Post Staff Writers DenverPost.com

Colorado Springs - A police officer was shot and killed Wednesday morning as he waited to apprehend a man with a lengthy criminal record who was wanted in the stabbing of his own sister. Colorado Springs police officer Jared Jensen was waiting for backup and had pulled out a pair of handcuffs to arrest the suspect when he was fatally shot. Jensen was on the ground when he was shot at least two times at close range, police said. The officer, who was in plain clothes at the time, did not return fire. It was the first time since 1982 that a Colorado Springs police officer was killed in the line of duty. "You are never prepared for the death of one of your employees, to have a police officer die," Police Chief Luis Velez said. "They put on uniforms, go to work, and they don't come home." Jensen radioed dispatchers at 10:40 a.m. to say he saw a man matching the description of Jereme Lamberth, who was wanted on charges of attempted murder. He is accused of stabbing his sister 13 times. Four minutes later, numerous callers told 911 dispatchers that there had been a shooting near a bus stop close to Memorial Park. Jensen, 30, who leaves behind his wife, Natalie, was taken to Memorial Hospital for emergency surgery. He never regained consciousness. SWAT teams and police dogs searched for the suspect. Roadblocks were set up, and police sealed off an area close to downtown. Within two minutes of the shooting, more than 75 people, including police and deputies from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
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Springs officer slain

Case 1:04-cr-00429-MSK

Document 153-2

Filed 02/24/2006

Page 2 of 4

Firearms and Explosives, began looking for Lamberth. At 12:13 p.m., FBI agent Joe Hunt and ATF agent Mark Wood saw fresh footprints at a KOA Campground near the scene of the shooting, and a resident told them that an unfamiliar man had gone into a trailer. Hunt and Wood found Lamberth hiding inside. "He did not put up a struggle," Velez said. Lamberth was not armed at the time of his arrest, but police say they recovered a gun in the area. Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera said Wednesday was a "tough day" for the city and Jensen's fellow officers. "He lost his life in the line of duty," Rivera said. "We are terribly saddened. He was a brave man, and he served with honor and distinction in the Colorado Springs Police Department." Jensen, a native of Davenport, Iowa, was hired in July 2002 and graduated from the police academy five months later. He worked patrol at two stations before he was assigned to the vice/ narcotics unit in January 2005. Jensen received two commendations from a commander during his service, police said. Natalie Jensen is an actress appearing at the Country Dinner Playhouse in suburban Denver in "Beauty and the Beast." The show's producer, Paul Dwyer, said consideration had been given to canceling Wednesday night's performance, but the cast decided that the tradition of the theater was that the show must go on, and Jensen's understudy performed. Police had been searching for Lamberth since Feb. 2, when he was accused of stabbing his sister, Melanie Schweinhart. She suffered multiple stab wounds to her head and body. Lamberth, who is on parole, has a lengthy criminal record for theft and violent crimes, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. In 1995, Lamberth was convicted of burglary and drunken driving and sentenced to three years of probation. Later that year he was charged with criminal trespass and a misdemeanor theft charge. The next year he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct and public fighting. Lamberth was convicted of first-degree trespassing and sentenced to three years of probation while he was still on probation in 1996.
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Springs officer slain

Case 1:04-cr-00429-MSK

Document 153-2

Filed 02/24/2006

Page 3 of 4

Arrested on burglary and assault charges in 1997, he was sentenced to two years in jail after probation violations. On March 24, 1998, Lamberth confronted a witness in the trespassing case, court records say. A man said Lamberth approached him near his home and accused him of being the primary witness in the case. Lamberth said, "'Hey, you know me. I spent two years in jail because of you."' He grabbed the man's stereo and threw it into bushes, according to court records. He then punched the man and kicked him in the face, the records say. While beating him up, Lamberth yelled, "'If you call the police about this, I'm going to kill your family and rape your wife,"' according to the records. Lamberth was charged with robbery, assault and retaliation against a witness. Those charges were dismissed in a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to attempted robbery. He was sentenced to six years in prison, according to court records. In February 2002, he was charged with second-degree assault for a crime committed in prison. He was released on an intensive parole program and later placed on ordinary parole Jan. 12, 2005, said Walt Ahrens, spokesman for the Colorado Department of Corrections. Police on Wednesday were initially tipped by a caller who said Lamberth had been seen in the area. Jensen probably knew he was confronting someone violent, Velez said, but he had to make quick decisions. The amount of training an officer gets is helpful in a tense situation, but training does not always prevent a tragedy. Waiting for backup is not always an option, either, the chief said. "We all know situations can come up where we can't wait," he said. "When you have a violent confrontation, it's incredible how fast that unfolds." Correspondent Steven Saint contributed to this report.

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Springs officer slain

Case 1:04-cr-00429-MSK

Document 153-2

Filed 02/24/2006

Page 4 of 4

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