Suspect killed in officer-involved shooting at Glenwood Meadows Shopping Center identified
Westley Crouch/The Aspen Times
A man with a felony warrant who pulled a firearm out before being fatally shot by Glenwood Springs police officers on Monday has been identified as Richard Grande, 55, of Glenwood Springs, a news release from the Garfield County Coroner’s Office states.
The incident began around 1 p.m. when officers on routine patrol recognized Grande, who had an outstanding warrant related to firearms charges. Glenwood Springs Police Chief Joseph Deras said that Grande immediately produced a firearm after recognizing the officers.
“The individual obviously recognized that they were police officers and immediately produced a firearm,” Deras said on Monday.
Officers retreated and opened fire, wounding Grande as he moved towards his vehicle.
The Garfield County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene at 2:08 p.m., according to the release. He was pronounced dead by officials at 2:33 p.m. An autopsy performed on Wednesday confirmed that he died from multiple gunshot wounds. The manner of death is being investigated as a homicide.
According to Deras, Grande was armed with a “high-capacity” firearm and had access to additional ammunition. No officers or civilians were injured in the incident, though several shoppers inside stores were treated as witnesses.
Law enforcement secured the area, and the shopping center remained closed until late Monday night. People with belongings in the area were able to retrieve them after 11:15 p.m.
According to records from Garfield County District Court, Grande had a history of legal issues dating back to 1997, including a civil case, misdemeanor cases, and a traffic case from that year in Rifle. He also had a felony stalking charge from 2003, which was dismissed by the Garfield County’s District Attorney’s Office.
His most recent case was an alleged felony criminal menacing charge with a misdemeanor concealed weapons charge in 2023.
The charges stem from a Dec. 9 incident where Grande confronted a man at the Walmart in Glenwood Springs, accusing the man of stalking him, according to an affadavit. The affadavit also states that Grande believed the man following him was a scout for the notorious motorcycle group, Hell’s Angels, who Grande suspected was trying to kill him. While speaking with law enforcement officials, Grande told officers that he was “psychic” and “being pursued by the FBI.”
During the confrontation, he confronted the man with his hand on his hip, yelling at him “not to f- with him.” When asked by Glenwood Springs police officers whether or not Grande had a gun in his hand during the encounter, he stated that he “did not want to incriminate himself,” according to the affadavit. Following a pat search by GSPD officers, a licensed .380 caliber Ruger LCP semi-automatic handgun was found in Grande’s pocket. He was not taken into custody.
A warrant for his arrest was issued later by District Judge Anne Norrdin in January of this year. The warrant was requested by the District Attorney’s Office after they received additional information reagarding the incident.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is processing the crime scene, and the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office is handling the criminal investigation. Glenwood Springs Police are conducting an administrative review. The officer involved has been placed on routine administrative leave.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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