19-Year-Old Man Dies After Being Shot By Loveland Police While In Mental Health Crisis

A 19-year-old man who was shot by police in Loveland last month has died of his injuries. Alex Domina had been in the hospital since the incident on Aug. 16, and underwent at least five surgeries to try to save his life. The law enforcement agencies investigating the Loveland officer’s conduct announced Domina’s death this morning, saying he “succumbed to his injuries late on September 7.”

Domina was shot multiple times in the abdomen after a family member called 911, asking for help because Domina was experiencing a mental health crisis. The caller said he posed a danger to himself or others and repeatedly expressed fear that Domina would get hurt.

Body camera footage released weeks later showed the responding officer, Eddie Luzon, shot Domina within minutes of arriving, after Domina walked towards him with a kitchen knife. When the footage was released in late August, Domina’s family said in a statement, “This tragic outcome highlights the need for first responders with mental health training for calls like this.”

Luzon has been with the Loveland police since 2019. He’s on paid leave while the neighboring Fort Collins Police Department, under the direction of the Eighth Judicial District Attorney, investigates the conduct of Luzon and another officer who arrived on the scene to provide medical assistance after the shooting. It is standard practice for a separate law enforcement agency to handle investigations of police use of force. 

The Eighth Judicial District announced today that investigators presented their findings to the district attorney on August 30, and the district attorney “is expected to render a decision in early September.”

The announcement of Domina’s death comes the same day Loveland Police announced a $3 million settlement with Karen Garner, a 73-year-old woman with dementia who was injured during a violent arrest in 2020. Police allegedly fractured Garner’s arm and dislocated her shoulder during the incident, though the city admitted no liability as part of the deal. Two officers still face criminal charges in the case.