Denver Police Officer Gordon Beesley Shot By 'Cop Hater,’ Police Chief Says

The police officer who was slain on Monday’s shooting in Olde Town, Arvada was targeted by a suspect who “expressed hatred for cops,” authorities said Tuesday.

Arvada Police Chief Link Strate said in a news briefing that Gordon Beesley, a 19-year veteran police officer, was “targeted because he was wearing an Arvada Police uniform and a badge.”

“Officer Beesley was ambushed by someone who expressed hatred of police officers,” Strate said but did not disclose details about the suspect who also died in the incident.

Strate said the ‘true samaritan’ who was also killed in the shooting was John Hurley, 40, of the municipality of Golden. The police chief did not provide details of how Hurley died but described him as a “true hero who likely disrupted what could have been a larger loss of life.” He said there was no connection between the suspect and Hurley prior to the attack.

Strate did not disclose any details on what sparked Monday’s shooting which occurred near a library in an area bustling with shops and restaurants in a historic area in Arvada. However, he said the police department is “hurt and troubled” by what happened to their colleague whom he described as a “true gentleman and a kind soul.”

Beesley began his career at the Arvada Police Department in September 2002, first as a patrol officer and later as a field training officer, motorcycle officer, and most recently, a school resource officer at Oberon middle school.

In Beesley’s school resource officer biography, as reported by NPR, he was portrayed as someone who enjoyed family time and outdoor activities. His motto stated, “Look for the good in every day.”

Oberon school counselor David Ruppert said Beesley was popular with kids. “They gravitated toward him. They looked at him as someone (they) can go to,” he said.

Beesley was named Arvada employee of the year in 2015 because he rode a bike with two middle school boys weekly whom he escorted to school, according to a Denver Post report.

The suspect was not identified in the press conference but NPR named 59-year-old Ronald Troyke.

Calling Beesley’s death as “tragic loss”, Strate said Monday’s shooting is an “isolated incident” and vowed that “the police department is committed to the protection of the community that we all love.”

Mayor Marc Williams said Monday’s shooting “was a very sad day” but he said the community came out to support the police after the tragic incident.

The shooting occurred just three months after a gunman killed 10 people, including a policeman, at a supermarket in Boulder, just 32 kilometers away from Arvada.