Colorado State Patrol releases video of Westminster officer ambush, ‘no indication’ of international gang ties

A new video released by the Colorado State Patrol on Monday shows the moments immediately after a gunman attacked an officer on Sept. 7.

Investigators still don’t know what caused 23-year-old Victor Anthony De Santiago to shoot Corporal Tye Simcox that Saturday afternoon. Simcox was parked in the median of Highway 36 in Westminster when De Santiago approached in a pickup truck, slowed down and fired multiple shots at the officer with a handgun.

Simcox was wounded in the right arm, but quickly returned fire during a brief firefight with De Santiago, who was hit and died at the scene.

Footage collected by CSP from multiple body cameras worn by officers shows that after shooting De Santiago, Simcox called for backup and was approached by an off-duty officer and another bystander who had witnessed the shooting. Both individuals offered aid to the officer and said they had firearms, but Simcox told him not to draw them.

Another CSP officer and officers from the Westminster Police Department arrived moments later and gave Simcox medical attention before taking him to the hospital. Those officers also checked De Santiago at the scene.

At a press conference Monday, CSP Chief Matthew Packard called the attack an “ambush” and said it appears Simcox was a “target of opportunity.”

Packard repeatedly reiterated that there is no evidence that De Santiago has ties to international gangs, a fact that has been speculated about by several conservative social media accounts.

“I can say he has gang activity in his history, but I can’t say if he was currently associated with or involved with a gang. But it was a local gang,” Packard said, declining to specify which one.

Santiago, a California native who lived in Thornton, had an extensive criminal record. In 2015, he pleaded guilty in a Weld County court to a misdemeanor count of menacing with a real or simulated weapon. He also had drug possession convictions and faced numerous driving-related charges.

CSP will look at how to prevent similar attacks in the future, but Packard said he’s not sure what would have stopped the attack on Simcox. Packard said Simcox and other CSP officers frequently parked at the spot along Highway 36 because it was surrounded by two concrete barricades, which provided protection on either side.

In a statement released Monday, Simcox said, “I am incredibly blessed to be alive and am so grateful for everyone’s support and prayers.”