District attorney: Larimer Sheriff's deputy cleared in shooting of unarmed man

Alicia Stice
The Coloradoan
The Larimer County District Attorney has deemed a sheriff's deputy's use of force justified in a June shooting.

Seconds before he was shot by a Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputy on the southeast edge of Fort Collins, 23-year-old Chet Knuppel was quickly moving toward three officers in a muddy field.

Even though Knuppel was later discovered to be unarmed, Larimer County District Attorney Cliff Riedel deemed the deputy's lethal use of force justified Thursday and provided more details on the events leading up to the deadly June 30 encounter.

"It was objectively reasonable to believe that Mr. Knuppel was armed with a gun and that he intended to shoot the deputies when in range," Reidel wrote in a letter detailing his opinion on the shooting. 

In the hour before his death, Knuppel had reportedly taken his parents' car without their permission, threatened to shoot an 82-year-old man and steal his car, and forced another driver off the road before crashing near the intersection of Timberline and Carpenter roads.

Witnesses said Knuppel fled into a field when he heard the sounds of approaching sirens. 

Three deputies — Derek Signorelli, Tyson Russell and Sam Roth — pursued Knuppel through the field. When Knuppel approached a farmhouse, he turned around, and quickly moved toward the officers, according to Riedel's letter.

Deputy Russell activated the emergency button on his body radio, which sends a signal to dispatch that officers need immediate assistance. It also opens the deputy's microphone for about 10 seconds. In those 10 seconds, officers can be heard telling Knuppel to get on the ground and put his hands up several times. 

Listen to the audio in the clip below.

Knuppel next reached both hands behind his back, Riedel wrote, and deputy Signorelli fatally shot him in the chest with an AR-15 rifle.

Knuppel's father, Troy Knuppel, said in an email that Riedel's letter reflects "an opinion from one side of the story."

"We will be examining the evidence and coming to our own conclusion," he wrote. "It is a shame it has come to this. America is not protected and watched over by elected officials, but rather it is the government against the citizens of America. I am rather sure that the markings on the side of officers' cars state 'To Serve and Protect.' When did this change?"

It's unclear at this time if Troy Knuppel has hired investigators or what, if any, action he is pursuing.

"We can certainly understand the grief of any family that loses a loved one unexpectedly, especially a young person," Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith said.

"As difficult as it is to read everything that's in (Riedel's letter), I think it paints a good picture of what responders were faced with when they got there, and how decisions were made, and the short timeline and the chaos that really was going on leading up to that."

In his letter, Riedel said that has become "all too common" for people with mental illness to try to force a deadly confrontation with law enforcement officers. Although officers are armed with batons and Tasers — a non-lethal alternative to the firearms they carry — that is not always a safe option for officers, Riedel wrote. 

FAQ:FAQ: Answers to 5 common questions about police shootings

In January, a Fort Collins Police Services officer shot 24-year-old Austin Snodgrass, who later admitted to trying to force officers to kill him. Snodgrass survived the encounter. One day after Knuppel's death, 19-year-old Jeremy Holmes was fatally shot by officers near the Colorado State University campus after reportedly telling officers, "Kill me now," and moving toward the officers with a knife.

Knuppel had a documented history of mental illness, Reidel said. During an arrest for drunken driving in 2015, he reportedly asked a Fort Collins Police Services officer to shoot him. He also attempted suicide in January, according to Riedel's letter.

"The reach of a bullet from a suspect’s gun is far greater than the reach of a police officer’s baton, pepper spray, or Taser," his letter stated. "Colorado law allows officers to protect their lives, the lives of fellow officers, and the lives of innocent civilians by using deadly physical force in this situation."

Knuppel's death is one of four fatal police shootings in Larimer County this year.

Signorelli is still on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation, which is department policy. The sheriff's office also has a process for bringing deputies back on duty following a fatal shooting that includes a check-in with a mental health counselor.

Smith said there is no set time frame for Signorelli's return, but usually deputies are ready to come back within a few weeks of that process beginning. 

Police shootings in Larimer County

Since late 2011, the Larimer County District Attorney's Office has issued opinions on 16 police shootings. 

Officers were cleared in three use-of-force opinions issued in 2016 and 2015, two in 2014 and 2013, one in 2012, and one in 2011.

Year to date, there have been four in 2017 in Larimer County:  

Correction: This story has been updated to correct Snodgrass' age.