A Colorado man who shot and killed a deputy sheriff on New Yearโs Eve spent hours leading up to the shoot-out taping himself and posting to social media. But it didnโt stop thereโbefore police killed him, Matthew Riehl also livestreamed the deadly gun battle, CBS News reports.
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Riehl, a 37-year-old Iraq War veteran, also had a history of suspicious and harassing behavior, including targeting a Douglas County, Colo., police officer in the weeks prior to the ambush, according to CNN.
On Sunday, Riehl called 911 to report problems with another man whom Riehl called his โdomestic partner.โ But when deputies arrived at Riehlโs apartment in Highlands Ranch, Colo., he had barricaded himself in. CBS Denver, which reviewed the footage, reports that Douglas County deputies initially tried to coax Riehl into opening the door; Riehl told the officers that he was assaulted before telling the cops to โgo awayโ and saying that he wanted the โcivil division.โ
Four sheriffโs deputies returned to Riehlโs apartment later, when Riehl asked one of the officers, โWhatโs your name?โ before immediately opening fire on the officers. Itโs unclear when a SWAT team became involved in the shooting, during which Riehl unloaded 100 rounds and killed one person, Sheriffโs Deputy Zackari Parrish, and injured four others.
According to the New York Daily News, which cites KDVR-TV and KUSA-TV, Riehl captured everything on Periscope. The shoot-out was so intense, it triggered a smoke alarm. Riehl died in the gunfight.
But as CNN reports, officials say that Riehl was no stranger to several law enforcement agencies.
Following a November traffic stop in a Denver suburb, Riehl wrote harassing posts and emails targeting local police officers. Riehlโs alma mater, the University of Wyoming, also issued a warning late last year alerting the campus to Riehlโs behavior.
Citing a letter sent to faculty and staff in November, CNN reports that campus police and the Laramie Police Department were alerted to Riehlโs โrambling, nonsensical messages on his Facebook page.โ University of Wyoming faculty was also asked to get in contact with police if Riehl was seen on campus.
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