WESTMINSTER - An officer was shot and a suspect was killed after a chase ended in an exchange in gunfire around midday Thursday.
"Westminster dispatch is notified of a bank robbery in the area of 120th and Sheridan at 11:51 this morning," Westminster Police Spokesman Trevor Materasso said. "One of our patrol officers spots the suspect vehicle in the area of 104th and Federal."
Materasso says as the officers tried to contact the vehicle, the occupants, a man and a woman, began shooting.
"Suspects were firing from their vehicle during the pursuit as the vehicle was moving," Materasso said.
He says both the man and the woman were armed with handguns as they walked into the First Bank earlier Thursday morning and made off with an undisclosed amount of money.
"A pursuit continues north on Federal in the area of 120th Avenue and Federal Boulevard our officers engage a pit maneuver which is to spin out and immobilize the suspects' vehicle," Materasso said.
Materasso says that is when police and the suspects engaged in a gun battle.
According to Materasso, a Westminster Police officer was shot and transported to a local hospital. His condition was not immediately known.
Police say the male suspect was killed. The condition and whereabouts of the female suspect was not immediately known.
A second officer was injured. Materasso says the officer suffered some sort of gunshot wound, but was said to have non life-threatening injuries and did not have to be transported to a hospital.
"It's very dangerous. There's businesses in the area that you can see over my shoulder where the suspects' vehicle finally came to rest," Materasso said. "Just to the north of that is a shopping center, a shopping complex where people were enjoying their day, having lunch, going about their business while rounds are being fired.
"That's something that the suspects don't necessarily take into consideration, is innocent bystanders in the area. But the police department always has to be aware of what area that they're in a gunfight."
A spokeswoman from St. Anthony Central Hospital confirms two people were admitted in connection to the incident, but their conditions were not immediately known.
Federal Boulevard was closed from 112th to 120th Avenues due to the shooting.
Police are processing scenes at both 104th and Federal and 120th and Federal. They say there were at least two exchanges of gunfire during the chase.
It was not immediately known if there were any other suspects at large in connection to the incident.
9NEWS and 9NEWS.com will update this story as more information becomes available.
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