The Nebraska State Patrol has released the name of the armed man shot and killed by Chadron police Friday morning. 40-year old Adrian Muniz of Greeley, CO, was pronounced dead at Chadron Community Hospital.
State Patrol spokesman Cody Thomas says multiple officers fired their duty weapons, but their names have not been released.
Muniz was the passenger in a car reported stolen in Colorado last week. The driver, 34-year old Rosalinda Aguilera, also of Greeley, was not hurt in the incident, but was arrested for theft by receiving stolen property in excess of $5,000.
Thomas says both Aguilera and Muniz were also wanted on warrants from Colorado. The investigation into the shooting found methamphetamine in the car.
The incident began when the car was identified as stolen when Muniz and Aguilera stopped for gas at Big Bats Conoco at the junction of Hwys 20 and 385
Chadron police officers contacted the pair about 10:50 am at the gas pumps and during what Thomas calls “the interaction,” Muniz produced a weapon.
Multiple officers fired their duty weapons, hitting Muniz. He was transported by ambulance to Chadron Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Chadron Police Chief Rick Hickstein requested that the Nebraska State Patrol investigate the incident, and Thomas says the Patrol’s Special Investigations Team is conducting the investigation in accordance with Nebraska law.
By statute, a grand jury investigation is required anytime a person dies while in custody or in the process of being arrested, but there’s no firm timeline for that process to begin. Thomas says the investigation remains ongoing.