GOLDEN, CO - In the evening hours on Wednesday, November 6th, a Golden police officer was fatally struck and another officer was injured by a suspected DUI driver. The identity of that driver has now been released.
According to reports, 43-year-old Stephen Geer has been charged with vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Geer has also been charged with two counts of vehicular assault while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and causing serious injuries to another person.
The incident happened when two Golden police officers had stopped on Highway 58 to investigate a previous crash involving a pink Toyota Tacoma and a silver Subaru that happened around 4:38 p.m., as noted in Geer's arrest affidavit. Both cars were stopped on the side of Highway 58 with one of the drivers and her father outside of the vehicles with both police officers.
The driver of a black Mazda then hit the back of the Tacoma and Subaru around 4:53 p.m., hitting all four of the people standing on the side of the road. One officer was pinned under the Subaru and later pronounced dead. According to reports, the officer has been identified as Evan Dunn.
Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey said, "He's an amazing human being. He has had a long, stellar career in the military, where he flew Black Hawk helicopters and served as a commander. He will be survived by a wonderful wife, a sister, and parents. Internally, he's going to be survived by 71 members of his Golden family."
In a social media post on Facebook, the Golden Police Department said that his wife, Annalise shared that "Evan was, first and foremost, a man of faith, loyal, steady, quiet, and observant. The couple shared a deep love for the outdoors, often camping and traveling together in their free time. She is deeply appreciative of the overwhelming support from the community."
Before being an officer for the Golden Police Department, Dunn was an Army aviation officer and Blackhawk pilot. He also served as a captain in the Army National Guard. He joined the department as a code enforcement officer and remained in that position for a year before he entered into the police academy. He graduated in July and was partnered with Officer Bethany Grusing, his field training officer.
She was also struck by the driver and was seriously injured, suffering a fractured cheekbone. Chief Harvey said, "She has a broken heart as well." The driver of the Tacoma had a skull fracture and brain bleed, and her father was thrown over the highway barrier cutting his head and elbow.
After the driver of the Mazda hit the four people, he got out of the car. The arrest affidavit says that the driver of the Subaru asked Geer if he was in the car during the crash, to which he said he was behind the wheel. Another police officer arrived on scene and talked with Geer, asking him to participate in roadside tests.
Geer reportedly told the officer that he worked at the Colorado School of Mines and had stopped to get a beer before driving home. Geer said he saw yellow flashing lights and tried to stop, but couldn't and rear-ended a stopped vehicle. He remembered hearing screaming, but struggled to remember anything else.
After performing a series of roadside tests, law enforcement gave Geer a written copy of his Miranda Rights. Geer will appear in court on Thursday, November 14th. His bond was set at $250,000.
Colorado State Patrol Trooper Sherri Mendez spoke about the dangers that law enforcement face when responding to crashes like this one. She said, "It's tragic because we're just out here doing our job and helping other people get to their families. And we also want to get home to our families as well."
She said that driving drunk is irresponsible, adding, "We have Uber, we have buses, we have Lyft, we have taxis. This shouldn't be happening ... I think it could be more of an accountability problem. We're out there patrolling, that we're doing the best that we can to help everybody out there. So, it would help if everybody pitched in and did their part to keep us all safe on the roadway."
