PUEBLO, Colo. - Authorities said a Rocky Ford
police officer was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree murder in a
deadly October shooting.
James Ashby, 41, was arrested
without incident at the La Junta Police Department by members of the 16th
Judicial District Critical Incident Team, according to prosecutors.
A warrant was issued for
Ashby's arrest in connection to the shooting death of Jack Jacquez, 24, on Oct.
12, in Rocky Ford.
The shooting occurred at around
2 a.m. at Jacquez' house on the corner of Third Street and Swink Avenue. His
relatives said the officer followed Jacquez into the house, forced open the
front door and the two got into an argument inside.
"(Jacquez) was standing
next to his mom, his back turned toward the officer and then (the officer) shot
him twice in the back and then pepper sprayed him. Then they hand cuffed his
fiancée, for reasons I don't know why. And the mom went to call the cops and
the cop took her phone and threw it against the wall," said Sara
Lindenmuth, Jacquez' sister-in-law.
Ashby was placed on
administrative leave after the fatal shooting.
A criminal records check by
7NEWS showed that Jacquez has prior arrests for assault, receiving stolen
property, DUI, marijuana possession, driving with a revoked license and being a
habitual traffic offender.
In 2005 and 2006, two women in
Otero County were granted permanent restraining orders against Jacquez, barring
him from ever contacting them. A third woman obtained a temporary protection
order against the man, according to court records.
The investigation, which has
been conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of
the La Junta Police Department, the Otero County Sheriff's Office and the
Colorado State Patrol, remains ongoing.
Circumstances surrounding the
shooting are detailed in Ashby’s arrest warrant; however, the document has been
sealed by a judge and prosecutors said specifics cannot be released at this
time.
Ashby is being held on $1
million bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 19.
