02-08-2025
He 'was coming at me with a knife': Fatal officer-involved shooting in Colorado Springs ruled justified
WARNING: Some of the video and audio recordings previously released by CSPD and details of the incident may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A fatal officer-involved shooting in Colorado Springs, in which a suspect who 'was covered in blood' rushed at officers with a knife, has been ruled justified by the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office (DA's Office).
According to the DA's Office review, at midnight on Oct. 8, 2024, officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) responded to the 5100 block of Prairie Grass Lane in the Stetson Hills neighborhood near Tutt Boulevard after a 911 caller reported that his roommate had 'made suicidal threats and was harming himself.'
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: CSPD releases footage of deadly Stetson Hills officer-involved shooting
The caller said the man, later identified as 41-year-old Matthew Kemper, was lying on the floor of the living room and 'was covered in blood, completely nude, and armed with a knife.'
CSPD Sergeant Andrew Rutter arrived on scene first at 12:07 a.m. and made contact with a second roommate, who was standing outside the home. The roommate told Sgt. Rutter that 'Mr. Kemper had attempted to assault him while armed with a knife.'
CSPD Officers Noah Bartron and Kyle Mace arrived on scene shortly after, and just before 12:15 a.m., several officers approached the home with Officer Bartron at the lead. The front door was open when officers arrived, and 'Officer Bartron opened the home's screen door… while announcing the presence of law enforcement.'
According to the DA's Office, 'He saw Mr. Kemper on the floor and noted Mr. Kemper had blood 'all over his face.'' According to the review, the reporting roommate was still in the front room but was separated from the officers by the suspect.
'The suspect was acting erratically and exhibiting suicidal behavior. He was armed with a knife, covered in blood, and blocking a path of escape for his roommate, the reporting party, when officers arrived,' the DA's Office wrote. 'Officers Bartron and Mace expressed they feared for the safety of the reporting party, for themselves, and for their fellow officers.'
When Officer Bartron asked the roommate to exit the home, they did not respond.
'…He looked terrified, like he couldn't move. He looked just scared. I remember yelling to him, 'Hey, come to me' because I wanted to get him out,' Officer Bartron stated. 'And as soon as I yelled, 'come to me,' [Mr. Kemper] lifted his chin and looked right at me.'
The DA's Office reported that was when Kemper jumped to his feet. 'Officer Bartron stepped back to create space but, because the reporting party was still inside the residence, said he did not feel it was safe for law enforcement to leave.'
Kemper then rushed toward officers while holding out a knife, according to the review. '…And in his left hand, I see a knife, a steak knife with a brown hilt and a silver blade that's serrated,' Officer Mace said.
Officer Bartron yelled toward Kemper, 'No, no, stay, stop.'
As Kemper continued to approach officers with the knife, Officer Mace 'pivoted from his department-issued taser, which he'd already drawn, to his handgun.'
According to the DA's Office, Officer Mace stated he threw his taser and reached for his gun because, '[The taser] takes two probes to hit and be effective. I didn't want to risk serious bodily injury or death to myself, my partner, or the innocent.'
'[Mr. Kemper] was coming at me with a knife, and I was afraid if he wasn't stopped, he was going to hurt me, my partner, or the other person in the room,' said Officer Bartron. Officer Bartron fired four rounds from his duty handgun at Kemper, who was hit multiple times and collapsed to the floor, the DA's Office wrote.
'He did not respond to commands to stop. Officers Bartron and Mace stated they were in fear for their lives, their fellow officers' lives, and the life of the reporting party,' according to the review.
The reporting roommate was led outside of the house by Officer Mace while officers on scene rendered medical aid to Kemper before medical personnel arrived.
'Despite the lifesaving efforts from CSPD officers and CSFD personnel, Mr. Kemper died at the scene,' wrote the DA's Office. 'Following an autopsy, [the] El Paso County Coroner's Office determined Kemper died as the result of multiple gunshot wounds.' According to the toxicology panel, Kemper had marijuana in his system at the time of his death.
The DA's Office said Officers Bartron and Mace were both equipped with body-worn cameras, but the equipment did not function correctly. The body-worn camera on Sgt. Rutter, however, did function correctly and recorded events normally.
'This information was raised with the BWC vendor, who stated this disruption was the result of a bug in their reporting system, which had been identified and resolved,' wrote the DA's Office regarding the remote activation failures and temporary interruption in device connectivity.
After completing a thorough review of the facts and evidence, Colorado's 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office has determined the use of deadly physical force by Colorado Springs Police Officer Noah Bartron on October 8, 2024, was justified, based on all the facts and circumstances of this case under the laws of the State of Colorado. No charges will be filed based on the statutes outlined previously, as well as the necessary application of ethical rules.
4th Judicial District Attorney's Office
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. Call or text 988 to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline; this service provides 24/7 confidential support for anyone in crisis or emotional distress.
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