A Thornton Police Department officer was recently cleared of criminal wrongdoing after he returned fire and injured an alleged burglar who was pursued into north Denver.
“Based on all of the evidence reviewed — most notably, the fact that Officer (Scott) Schilb was being fired upon by a man who refused to stop for police officers after allegedly committing a burglary – and applying Colorado law to the facts, I find Officer Schilb’s actions to be reasonable and legally justified,” Denver District Attorney Beth McCann stated in a press release.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office handled the review of the officer’s actions since the pursuit ended in Denver.
Schilb was one of the Thornton officers who responded at 3:32 a.m. on May 31 to a reported burglary in progress at 10217 Quivas Street. The caller described a suspect vehicle – “one of those box-looking cars” such as a Scion or Honda Element – to dispatchers.
Schilb, driving his unmarked police vehicle, a white Chevrolet pickup truck, spotted a blue Scion in the area and followed it, according to the DA’s review letter. As he approached drove closer to the rear of the Scion to deploy a GPS tracking device, Schilb reported seeing muzzle flashes from inside the cabin of the Scion and hearing gunshots. He reported to dispatchers that he had been fired upon but was uninjured. This happened seven minutes after the initial call to 9-1-1.
Denver District Attorney’s Office
The Scion turned onto southbound Interstate 25 and Schilb followed. Thornton Officer Taylor Dudley, driving in a marked TPD cruiser, soon caught up with the Scion and turned on his lights and sirens.
The Scion exited at 48th Avenue crashed into a concrete barrier while trying to make a right turn onto Eliot Street. Two men ran from it, with Schilb and Dudley running after them.
Schilb reported being fired upon by the driver of the Scion while he was chasing the passenger. Schilb fired at the driver twice, hitting him with one bullet. The driver fell, dropped the handgun that had been fired until empty, and put his hands up.
Officer Dudley arrested the passenger, Anthony Tafoya, a block away.
The driver, 42-year-old Jedidiah Wilson, was taken to a hospital. Wilson had been released from the Adams County jail eight days earlier, according to online court records. He bonded out after being arrested on a three-and-a-half-year-old misdemeanor warrant. That warrant was ordered for Wilson’s alleged failure to comply with the terms of his sentence in a Denver child sexual assault case, including his alleged failure to register as a sex offender.
Seven casings from Wilson’s handgun were found inside the Scion. Two more were discovered laying in Eliot Street.
Denver District Attorney’s Office
Wilson and Tafoya allegedly broke into the Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) building in Thornton the night of the shooting and pursuit. A manager of the bar there, Dougie G’s Lounge, told CBS News Colorado the burglars broke down a door and got into a storage room, but took nothing of significant value.
RELATED “Lowest of the lows”: Thieves break into Aurora Veteran of Foreign Wars post
Several VFWs in the metro area have been broken into recently. But the bar manager said Thornton detectives gave him no indication Wilson and Tafoya were connected to any of the other crimes. Thornton PD did not respond to CBS News Colorado’s inquiries about possible connections.
RELATED Suspect arrested in VFW vandalism investigation
After treated for his wound, Wilson appeared in Denver court 17 days after the shooting. He faces four felony counts, including attempted murder of a police officer. He is scheduled for an arraignment Sept. 25.
