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DENVER – A police officer who was one of three people killed in a shooting in a suburban Denver shopping district was a school resource officer known for cultivating relationships with students, city officials said.
Police did not explain the cause of the shooting, which began on Monday, which also killed a suspect and a man they described as a “Samaritan” near a bookshop in the historic center of Arvada, home to popular stores, restaurants, breweries and other businesses about 7 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Central Denver City.
Authorities are expected to release more information about the shooting on Tuesday afternoon. They did not reveal the identities of the other two people who died.
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With the school out in the summer, Officer Gordon Beasley was on patrol when police said he was shot, shortly after a report of a suspicious incident that authorities did not describe.
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Beasley worked for the Arvada Police Department for 19 years as a patrol officer and motorcycle traffic officer before being assigned to work with students at Oberon Middle School.
According to his school resource officer’s biography, he played drums in a band and enjoyed hiking, biking, skiing, and camping with his family. His motto was “Seek the good in every day.”
A biography published on the city’s website said: “He is dedicated to promoting a safe environment at his school, opening lines of communication to students, and teaching them the importance of integrity as they move into the next stage of their lives. “
In 2015, Beasley began cycling to school alongside a seventh grader with developmental delays after learning he was really interested in bikes but his mother didn’t want him to ride alone, according to a KUSA-TV story.
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The Arvada shooting came three months after a gunman opened fire and killed 10 people, including a police officer, at a supermarket in Boulder, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Arvada.
Flowers are stacked atop a police cruiser adorned with American flags and balloons Tuesday outside the Arvada Police Department at a temporary memorial to Paisley, less than a mile (1.6 km) from the library where the shooting took place outside.
After his murder on Monday, about 100 people gathered – some carrying American flags and pro-police flags – while police cars and motorbikes escorted Beasley’s body to the coroner’s office.
Among them was Elaine Magnuson, who choked while watching. I originally thought the massive police response in the area indicated the possibility of a car accident – not a shooting that killed a police officer.
“It’s very close,” she said.
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