Man lead police on high speed chase from Thornton to Castle Rock

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — A man who was shot by deputies after leading law enforcement on a chase from Thornton all the way to Castle Rock earlier this month said he “accidentally” fired his weapon at officers while attempting to toss the gun out of the vehicle, according to an affidavit for his arrest from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Kyle Williamson, who was on parole following his release from prison, was shot at least five times on the morning of Oct. 11 at a 7-Eleven on Plum Creek Parkway in Castle Rock.

The arrest affidavit says that around 4:30 a.m. that morning, officers from Thornton Police, who were in an unmarked car, spotted Williamson and his wife Hannah Woolard in a Silverado truck in the area of 88th Avenue and York Street.

The truck had areas that were spray painted, and officers suspected a “misuse” of plates. As a result, they suspected it was stolen. According to the affidavit, investigators later determined the license plate belonged to a green 2021 Silverado. The Silverado the couple was in was a 2023 model registered to U-Haul in Arizona.

Officers attempted to follow the couple but while they did, the affidavit says, Williamson doubled back and began following the officers. Williamson ran a red light at 55th Avenue and Pecos Street and then stopped in front of the unmarked patrol car, the affidavit says.

At that location, according to the document, Williamson got out of the truck and began yelling at officers. The officers exited their vehicle, activated their lights, identified themselves, and “challenged” Williamson, the affidavit says.

Later, Williamson claimed he did not know they were officers and said that the people in the car got out but never said anything. His wife disputed that. She told investigators they knew they were police “from the moment they fled.”

Williamson got back in his vehicle and fled with the officers following, according to the document. 

On the on-ramp from Interstate 76 to southbound Interstate 25 officers got within 10 feet of Williamson’s truck and planned to deploy a GPS device which, if successful, would have allowed them to safely track the vehicle.

However, the affidavit says, as the officer closed in on Williamson, he leaned out the driver’s side window and fired three or four shots at the officer.

RELATED: Suspect fired 3 or 4 shots at Thornton officer during chase, affidavit says

Williamson later told investigators he was trying to toss the gun out the window when his finger got stuck on the trigger and he “accidentally” fired. He said he made a second attempt to toss the gun out and again his finger got stuck in the trigger and he fired.

Woolard, again disputed what her husband said, she reported that Williamson “deliberately” fired the gun. She also said that Williamson handed her the gun and asked her to reload it, but she couldn’t figure out how to do that and handed him back the gun.

She admitted to shining a flashlight toward the officers in an attempt to blind them with the light, the affidavit says. She said Williamson directed her to do that.

According to the affidavit, Thornton officers pursued the couple until the active pursuit was terminated near I-25 and Ridgegate Parkway. However, the affidavit states that Thornton officers “continued to follow from a distance.”

During the pursuit, the affidavit says, Williamson was driving recklessly and that several other drivers had to swerve to avoid being hit. One of those vehicles belonged to a Douglas County Sheriff’s deputy who reported that he had to speed up to avoid being hit by Williamson and said he had come “within inches” of his rear bumper.

Another deputy who was not far behind, witnessed Williamson “abruptly” change lanes and then sideswipe another driver. That driver later said that he believed Williamson had struck his vehicle intentionally.

Douglas County deputies pursued the truck at the point until Williamson exited the highway. Stop sticks were deployed on Plum Creek Parkway before Williamson drove over the sidewalk and landscaping at a 7-Eleven and crashed into it.

RELATED: Shots fired at officers during pursuit that ended with truck crashing into Castle Rock 7-Eleven

A clerk and a customer were inside the store. Both were unharmed, the sheriff’s office said. The clerk later said she saw the truck pull slowly into the parking with cops behind it and assumed it was a traffic stop. However, she said, when the truck got near the front entrance, the driver “floored it” and she yelled for the customer to watch out, the affidavit says.

After that, she said she saw Williamson with a handgun and said she thought she was “done for.” She ran out a back door and was met by additional officers who were beginning to surround the store.

According to the affidavit, a deputy ordered Williamson “repeatedly” to put his hands up, but he refused and pointed the gun at the deputy, who fired at him. Williamson turned to run toward the back of the store and a second deputy opened fire. That deputy said he was concerned about the safety of the worker who had just fled in that direction.

Williamson was hit about five times, the affidavit says. He was taken into custody along with Woolard. He was expected to survive his injuries.

According to the affidavit, the investigation revealed that the magazine was not in Williamson’s weapon when he exited the truck at the 7-Eleven.

Court records indicate that Williamson pleaded guilty in Adams County District Court to child abuse – recklessly causing serious injuries and attempted sexual assault in September 2011. He was sentenced to 14 years for one count and three years for the other.

According to the Colorado Department of Corrections, Williams was released on parole on Jan. 20, 2022.

The deputies who fired shots were put on administrative leave per department policy, the sheriff’s office said. The 18th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response team will investigate the shooting. 

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