This article is related to a previous incident: Disturbance, Area of Country Store, W 3rd St & Minter Ave DeBeque
DE BEQUE, Colo. — A nearly eight-hour law-enforcement standoff in De Beque ended tragically Thursday night when a barricaded man died by suicide as officers moved in to arrest him.
According to the De Beque Marshal’s Department, a deputy marshal attempted to contact the man around 12:30 p.m. in the 300 block of Minter Avenue. The man reportedly pointed a shotgun at the deputy and then barricaded himself inside a public gazebo.
The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) responded with its Crisis Negotiations Team and a mental-health clinician. Negotiators made repeated attempts to reach the man, who kept possession of the firearm while barricaded.
Additional support came from the Grand Junction Police Department, Palisade Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, and the Bureau of Land Management. Shortly before 8 p.m., the combined SWAT team advanced to take the man into custody. He took his own life moments later.
Authorities say there is no remaining threat to the community but asked residents to avoid the immediate area while the investigation continues. The Mesa County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s identity and the official cause and manner of death after the autopsy is completed.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 to connect with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.