Two officers who shot and killed 22-year-old Caleb Grisenti after he pinned two Englewood police officers and dragged another with a car in May were deemed justified for their actions, according to a report by the 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). 

Man fatally shot by Englewood PD identified

Officer Stephen Creaghe suffered serious injuries to his knees, pelvis and internal organs following the incident, while the other officers sutained minor injuries. 

The critical response team is a multi-agency team consisting of members of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Parker Police Department, Greenwood Village Police Department, Aurora Police Department and 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. 

According to the report, authorities responded to an apartment complex at 1401 E. Girard Pl. after a maintenance worker reported a suspicious vehicle being parked beneath building 15. The worker told dispatchers the male driver and female passenger were both sleeping. 

Dispatchers discovered the vehicle was listed as stolen from Denver, and asa result,  Sgt. David LeClair called the “watch commander” and asked if officers could block or pin the stolen vehicle, but was not approved. 

Police fatally shoot suspect in stolen vehicle in Englewood; three officers injured

Within minutes, five other members of the Englewood Police Department arrived on-scene and approached the vehicle. Officer Creaghe approached from the driver’s side, while two others approached from the passenger side. 

Creaghe opened the door and issued commands to Grisenti. The officer bent and reached into the car with his right hand and attempted to pull the suspect from the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. 

During this time, Grisenti managed to shift the stolen Kia Optima into drive and pushed on the accelerator, which sent the vehicle forward to the left and pinned both Officers Tim Weeks and Orion Watts against a concrete wall, according to the report.

At the same time, Creaghe was pinned by the vehicle’s open door between the car and wall of the garage space. Craeaghe was dragged from the parking spot, against the wall, underneath other officers and then against his patrol unit,  according to the report. 

Eventually, Creaghe put his handgun to Grisenti’s chest and fired a single shot while being crushed against the wall and his own patrol unit, before falling out of the vehicle. 

Creaghe told investigators that he “felt the life being crushed out of him as he was being dragged” and that he was going to die. It was “horrific, gut-crushing,” Creaghe said in the report. 

LeClair witnessed the incident transpire and initially believed Creaghe, Weeks and Watts were dead as a result of their injuries. He told investigators he was aware of several nearby witnesses in the area and in an attempt to protect others and himself, he fired four shots through the rear passenger window and hit Grisenti three times in the chest and shoulder area, according to the report.

Grisenti crashed following the shooting and was immediately administered first-aid by responding officers. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries, according to the report.

Grisenti “ignored commands, resisted arrest, placed the already-running stolen car in drive towards police officers, pinned Officers Sammon and Weeks against the wall and dragged Officer Creaghe,” the report read. “For these reasons, (Sgt.) LeClair and Officer Creaghe were justified in using deadly physical force.”