Man who killed Colorado deputy livestreamed himself

Published 7:37 am Wednesday, January 3, 2018

DENVER — Videos made by the man who shot and killed a Colorado sheriff’s deputy after concerns were raised about his mental health show the gunman calling 911 and then opening his apartment door and talking to responding officers before the shooting.

The footage, livestreamed on Periscope, was obtained by Denver’s KUSA-TV. The station broadcast clips from two videos in which Matthew Riehl says he would not hurt anyone except to defend himself before calling authorities.

“Maybe I bought over 1,000 rounds of ammunition from Walmart. It’s not illegal,” he says.

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Later, he tells a police dispatcher that a man had invited him to his house and was acting strangely.

When authorities arrive at Riehl’s suburban Denver apartment, the footage shows him talking to at least two officers, telling them he wants to file an emergency restraining order against his domestic partner. He is upset when one officer offers to give him a phone number to call, and leaves the doorway to go back into a room.

“Did you not get the message? Wow. They didn’t get the message. They lied,” he is heard saying on the video.

The TV station said Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock verified the authenticity of the videos and said the 911 call made by Riehl was the second one from his apartment in Highlands Ranch, 16 miles (about 25 kilometers) south of Denver, on Sunday.