Fort Morgan man in custody on attempted second-degree murder charge

Desmond Harris, 23, of Fort Morgan, is in custody on a police charge of attempted second-degree murder following an early Monday morning shooting in the 600 block of Main Street.

An unnamed male victim was shot when it is believed he attempted to stop an altercation between Harris and the female passenger of his vehicle, police said. The male victim was transported to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Fort Morgan for treatment of the gunshot wound. The condition of the victim is not known, police said.

Fort Morgan police quickly responded to the shooting call at around 3:05 a.m. and a description of Harris and his vehicle was secured as they were en route to the scene, Police Chief Loren Sharp said.

“A vehicle matching the description of the vehicle seen fleeing [the scene] was spotted by one officer who followed the vehicle while others responded to the scene and began first aid on the victim, and secured the scene,” he said.

A perimeter around the suspect’s home was established by Fort Morgan police and Morgan County Sheriff’s Office deputies “to ensure the safety of the community without alerting the suspect to police presence,” Sharp added.

Police detectives and the Weld County SWAT was activated, he said, as the Regional SWAT is presently inactive.

While a caller provided a vehicle description and the vehicle had been observed by an officer, action was not immediately taken because of the driver’s description not matching.

“The officer watched the vehicle until others were able to determine that the description of the driver did match the person seen driving the car,” Sharp said. “This is the reason that the officer followed the vehicle until he saw the driver park.”

Harris was arrested without incident, Sharp said, and transported to the Morgan County jail.

“This is an example of excellent police work by our officers, as well as teamwork from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Brush Police Department and Weld County SWAT,” Sharp said. “Without the great working relationships that have been established within our region, these types of cases would be too much for any agency to handle alone.”

The Regional SWAT unit is inactive, Sharp said, because the commander of the unit is on medical leave. The Regional SWAT unit remains active for planned events, he said, but other teams in the area are utilized in an emergency. The Regional SWAT unit includes officers from Brush, Fort Morgan and Sterling police departments and sheriff’s deputies from Logan and Morgan Counties.