PUEBLO – The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office said two deputies were shot and injured during a standoff Friday in Pueblo West. The suspect is now in custody.
Officials said deputies tried to contact the suspect on Friday morning, 9News reported. The suspect had been making threats against the Tennessee State Patrol and the capitol building in Tennessee, officials said.
The Sheriff’s Office said Tennessee authorities asked Pueblo deputies to check on the suspect. After no response during the first attempt, a sergeant and a deputy tried a second time around 3:20 p.m.
When they arrived, deputies said they were immediately under fire and suffered injuries. One of the deputies was shot in the head and the other was shot in the left shoulder. Both deputies are expected to make a full recovery.
Deputies fired one round of a nonlethal weapon and neutralized the suspect, taking him into custody with no injuries.
The suspect had never been known to act violently toward deputies, a sheriff spokesperson said. The suspect has a history of mental illness, and alcohol may have contributed to this violent encounter, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said the suspect, Eddie Lovins, is a veteran and believed to be knowledgeable about explosives. The Pueblo Metro Bomb Squad was securing the parameter and obtaining a warrant to search the home.
Nearby residents were told to shelter in place as the bomb squad investigates the suspect’s claims that his home is “wired.”