FOX31 Denver

Police shoot man after VFW break-in attempt in Thornton

THORNTON, Colo. (KDVR) — FOX31 has new video of men trying to break into a VFW post in Thornton early Wednesday morning.

An alarm at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building alerted police, and minutes later, officers were chasing the suspects. The chase ended in a shootout and left one of those suspects injured.

The VFW Post 7945 on Quivas Street is a place veterans go for peace, quiet and support after having fought some of the country’s toughest battles. But in the middle of the night, they came under a different kind of attack.

Surveillance video shows two men approaching one of the Post’s doors and attempting to break in. They were unsuccessful but caused a lot of damage.

Now, the commander of the Post, Scott Evans, must figure out how to fix it.

“When am I going to have the time to fix it? I do all the maintenance at this building just to try and save the Post money,” Evans said.

Evans said he tries his best to keep the Post meticulously clean and safe for fellow vets.  

VFW break-in leads to police chase and shooting

An alarm notified the Thornton Police Department, whose officers chased and captured the suspects. One of the suspects, investigators say, shot at police but was instead shot himself in a Denver neighborhood nearly 7 miles from Regis University.

Back at the VFW, the veterans are glad the suspects were caught. But now they must figure out how to pay for all the damage.

“I don’t know if I can pound out the damage on it, but I’m pretty sure we are going to have to replace that whole steel door,” Evans said.

Evans estimates it will cost up to $1,200 to replace but is determined to get the door fixed.

Police have identified the suspect who was shot as 42-year-old Jedidiah Wilson. He is expected to survive.

An outside agency will investigate the shooting since a Thornton Police officer was involved.