Suspect is in the hospital after a shooting near the CU campus early Sunday morning

A suspect is in the hospital after a shooting involving Boulder police near the CU campus early Sunday morning. According to Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, officers were responding to an unrelated disturbance when they heard shots fired outside a restaurant at 1:30 a.m. during bar close.

Police say several people were firing their guns when officers arrived and shot back. Responding officers said they saw three suspects shooting at each other, and one officer began opening. The officer hit one adult male in the arm, who was later brought to the hospital. Two suspects are still at large.

There was no obvious motive and it isn’t clear if the suspects were shooting at each other.

“If the police officers weren’t on foot patrol in this area, and they actively engaged the suspect, it could have been a lot worse,” Herold said at a press conference Sunday.  

Herold said they found bullet casings for at least three types of guns. Police say at least two other suspects remain at large and are asking for help from witnesses.

The incident occured on the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue Boulder’s University Hill, a dense neighborhood full of restaurants, bars and other attractions just across the street from the University of Colorado Boulder’s campus. The area is home to dozens of off-campus student housing complexes, including several sorority and fraternity houses. 

The officer who shot and injured the suspect has been put on paid administrative leave while a response team investigates the circumstances surrounding the shooting, per city policy. 

The man who was shot is expected to survive.