Colorado Politics

Evergreen CommonSpirit gunman identified as previous patient

A gunman who shot into a primary care office in Evergreen Thursday afternoon was previously a patient at the facility, authorities said.

Lance Black, 62, fired about 19 shotgun rounds into various pieces of equipment, computers and walls at a CommonSpirit Primary Care Center in Evergreen around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said on social media Friday afternoon.

Black injured nobody during the incident but took his own life with the shotgun as deputies arrived to the scene, the office added. The man had previously been a patient at the facility but investigators are still unclear as to his motive.

Officers responded to reports of an active shooter in the 32000 block of Ellingwood Trail just after 4:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the office. When they arrived, they saw broken glass windows and found Black inside.

While trying to de-escalate the situation, Black turned the gun on himself, the officials said. Deputies never fired a shot during the incident, office spokesperson Karlyn Tilly told The Denver Gazette’s news partners 9News.

The shooting took place just down the road from Evergreen High School, where a student shot two of his classmates before taking his own life in September.

“This is really the last thing this community needs is another type of shooting situation,” Tilley told 9News. “And even though at this moment we don’t have any victims, it is still very, very rattling, I think, to this community, to law enforcement. It’s just not anything anyone wants to hear about.”

CommonSpirit also released a statement about the shooting Thursday night, calling it “tragic” and saying that the organization is working closely with the office to learn more about the incident.


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