Arapahoe County deputy shoots, kills former deputy outside sheriff’s office HQ
CENTENNIAL, Colo. Nov 1 2017– A former Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed by a deputy outside the sheriff’s office’s headquarters Sunday night.
Deputies confirmed the shooting took place at an employee entrance to the parking lot on East Broncos Parkway around 9:45 p.m.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office says an on-duty deputy saw a vehicle backed into the headquarters’ exit gate, and that the deputy went up to the vehicle and contacted the driver.
The sheriff’s office says the man inside the vehicle had a gun, which he allegedly pointed at the deputy and two others who quickly arrived to the scene.
One of the deputies fired their weapon at the man, striking him. The sheriff’s office says deputies performed CPR on the man “without success.”
The man shot by the deputy has been identified as 50-year-old Mark Bidon, a former Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy who was with the department from 2000 until his resignation in 2010.
The Arapahoe County Coroner’s Office said Bidon died of “multiple gunshot wounds of his trunk and left arm.”
“This is a difficult day for our entire agency,” said Sheriff Dave Walcher. “Not only are we needing to support our deputies who have been involved in this critical incident, we also want to provide support to those employees who previously worked with the suspect and may be affected by these events.”
Denver7 has learned that Bidon sued the Sheriff’s Office in March of 2015.
The lawsuit states that in May of 2010, Bidon became the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation.
His employment was terminated a month later.
According to the lawsuit, Bidon negotiated an agreement in which the Sheriff’s Office agreed to not criticize, denigrate, blacklist, or otherwise disparage Bidon in his effort to successfully seek and obtain employment with other law enforcement agencies.
The lawsuit alleged that the Human Resources Department at the Sheriff’s Office used the confidential information to “blacklist” Bidon.
He had apparently applied for 75 positions at other law enforcement agencies, but was not hired.
The lawsuit was settled before it went to trial.
Whether Bidon still harbored ill feelings toward the department isn’t known yet.
Neighbors told Denver7 that Bidon worked as a security guard at a local supermarket.
“He was so nice,” one of them said. “It’s sad that he was shot.”
The deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, or temporarily assigned to other duties pending the outcome of an administrative review of the incident, per department policy.
The 18th Judicial District Critical Response Team is investigating the shooting.
Denver7
