A Regional Transportation District security officer wearing a uniform similar to Denver police was fatally shot in the head after being ambushed Wednesday.
Security Officer Scott Von Lanken -- a former police officer in La Crosse, Wisconsin -- was standing outside of Union Station in Wynkoop Plaza near the intersection of 16th and Wynkoop streets around 11 p.m. when he was attacked, according to The Denver Post.
Officials said the 56-year-old armed security officer with Allied Universal was giving directions to two women about where to board the light rail when the suspect snuck up behind him and pointed a gun at his neck. The women said they heard the suspect say "Do as I tell you" before shooting the officer.
Von Lanken died in an ambulance while being transported to a local hospital.
A warning was immediately sent out out to all Denver police officers because there was no known motive for the shooting.
"We have concerns," Denver Police Commander Barb Archer told reporters. "Was the officer a target because he was wearing a uniform?"
The suspected gunman, 37-year-old Joshua Cummings, was arrested a few blocks away and is being held without bond.
Von Lanken is survived by his wife, Shellie, and their twin adult daughters.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
