Officer kills man with weapon walking on Colorado interstate

DENVER (AP) — A 29-year-old man who had been walking through traffic on a Denver-area interstate was shot and killed by police Monday after allegedly producing a weapon when he was confronted by officers.

Authorities were responding to reports of a man walking on Interstate-25 and nearly getting hit by a vehicle in Thornton at about 7:30 a.m. Monday, the Thornton Police Department said.

Officers were attempting to talk to the suspect when he allegedly produced a weapon and was shot by one of the officers, police said in a statement.

The man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead from unspecified injuries. His name was not released pending notification of next of kin.

The statement did not say what kind of weapon the man brandished. A Thornton Police spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the confrontation.

The officers involved were placed on administrative leave and the case was turned over to a judicial response team for review. The highway was closed several hours while the scene was investigated.

Thornton is a suburb of Denver with about 140,000 people.