Grand Jury Will Probe Adams County Deputy Jesse Jenson's Death

WELD COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - A CBS4 Investigation has learned a grand jury will investigate the Jan. 16 shooting death of off-duty Adams County Deputy Jesse Jenson. A LaSalle police officer shot Jenson following a car chase.

Jenson, 41, was later taken off life support and died two days later.

The investigation into what happened has been cloaked in secrecy as a critical incident team looked into the case. But late Friday afternoon, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke told CBS4 he would be referring the case to a grand jury saying that is procedure "when probable cause exists to believe a crime has been committed."

Rourke declined to discuss specifics but said he would likely turn the case over to a grand jury "within the next month." He would not say precisely what prompted him to go in that direction.

"I'm referring it to the grand jury because it's the appropriate route to go under the circumstances of this investigation," said Rourke.

He said a grand jury was the appropriate forum for the case to play out.

Law enforcement authorities previously said there were two vehicles involved in the chase which ended in Evans. Investigators said Jenson was not in a marked vehicle and was not involved in police work at the time he was shot.

Multiple sources familiar with the investigation have confirmed to CBS4 that Jenson was killed by one gunshot to the head. The LaSalle officer who shot Jenson has not been identified.