The Aftermath

I was a witness to a violent crime. Little did I know how much that would affect me

- LOU DEAN

I was on my way to hike with my dogs when I heard the gunshots. 

Guns are not uncommon in my isolated corner of rural northwest Colorado. The public lands around my house are a hub for deer and elk hunting. Neighboring ranchers sometimes shoot at coyotes and mountain lions to protect their stock. I didn’t give the gunshots much thought.

I drove out my gate and was about to turn east onto Highway 40 toward the trailhead when I saw cars parked off the road to the west. I wondered whether one of them could belong to the new manager of K-Ranch, which bordered my property on three sides. I wanted to meet him. So I turned west, telling my dogs they’d have to wait for their walk.

Drawing closer to the cars, I recognized one of them—the pickup truck of Colorado Parks and Wildlife officer Nathan Martinez. I knew Nate. Local wildlife officers sometimes stopped by my place to ask whether I had seen any suspicious activity. Poaching could be a problem around here.

I pulled off the highway and parked. The vehicle next to Nate’s appeared to belong to a sheriff’s deputy. About a dozen yards away, I saw Nate standing near a fence and pointing his gun toward something on the ground. Wildlife officers sometimes had to put down animals hit by a car. I did not need to see that.

I was about to leave when Nate saw me and began waving frantically.

“Lou!” he called. “Come over here, please!” There was something odd about his voice.

Another figure beyond the fence saw me and waved. I recognized Bhrent Shock, a county sheriff’s deputy.

“Lou, we need your help!” Bhrent shouted.

An unsettling feeling came over me. I got out of my 4Runner and told my dogs to stay.