Jury Convicts Man Who Ambushed Fort Lupton Police Officers And Shot One In The Face

click to expand

(CBS4) - A jury in Weld County this week convicted a man who shot and injured a Fort Lupton police officer. The crime by Matthew Cotter was committed on Dec. 2, 2019. He was 19 at the time.

Matthew Cotter (credit: Weld County)

Cotter shot Sgt. Chris Pelton in the face, and Pelton spent nearly a month in the hospital as part of his recovery.

Chris Pelton (credit: Fort Lupton)

Pelton and other Fort Lupton officers responded to a home after residents said Cotter, their daughter's boyfriend, showed up in the front driveway with a gun.
Cotter had dated the girl, but the two had broke up many months before. Officers shot and injured him after they say Cotter hid behind a fence, ambushed officers and shot Pelton.

Cotter was convicted on numerous charges in court on Wednesday. He now faces between 48 and 96 years in prison, according to the Weld County District Attorney's Office. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 12.