A deputy in Jefferson County, Colorado was cleared this week in a shooting in which officials say he fired a "one in a billion" shot that disabled a suspect's gun.
Deputy Jose Marquez was shot in the shoulder and abdomen during the Jan. 26 attempted robbery in the parking lot of an apartment complex on East Adriatic Drive in Aurora, according to The Aurora Sentinel.
One of the suspects fled the scene while Jhalil Meshesha was wounded in the leg by Marquez and later arrested. Investigators later learned that one of Marquez’s bullets struck Meshesha's gun, traveling straight down the barrel and disabling it. Police have called the shot "one in a billion."
In a letter sent to Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader and Aurora Police Chief Nick Metz on Wednesday, Arapahoe County Deputy District Attorney Rich Orman said that the deputy -- who was off duty and not in uniform at the time of the incident -- acted appropriately.
"Deputy Marquez reasonably believed that his life was in danger and acted reasonably in shooting Meshesha, and that he used an appropriate level of physical force," the letter stated. "I further find that Deputy Marquez’s actions were justified and he did not violate Colorado law."
Marquez told investigators that he was visiting his girlfriend at her apartment when he went outside to grab something from his car. As he began to walk back, he saw two young men with masks on their face when suddenly, one of the men told him to "give it up" and pulled out a pistol.
The two men began shooting and Marquez returned fire.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Spokesman Mark Techmeyer said that Marquez has not yet been able to return to work because of his wounds.
