Aurora police officer still in the hospital 2 weeks after being stabbed in the head, police say

An Aurora police officer is still recovering in the hospital from injuries he sustained two weeks ago, after a man stabbed him in the head multiple times, department officials said.

Mark Moore, a K9 officer with the Aurora Police Department, was part of a response to a 911 call about a 23-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis on April 9.

The 911 caller, an Aurora Mental Health clinician, said the man was armed with a "large butcher knife" and was threatening to harm himself and family members in a home in the 14000 block of East Stanford Circle, near East Quincy Avenue and South Parker Road.

Crisis negotiators were trying to get the man, later identified as Amare Garlington, to come out of the home unarmed, according to police, but say Garlington ran out of the home toward officers "at full speed," with the knife. Department officials say Garlington stabbed Moore's K9, Cyrus, who ran away from the scene, prompting officers to shoot Garlington with tasers and 40mm foam-tipped bullets. The less-lethal munitions had no effect, however, and Garlington stabbed Moore several times in the head, officials said.

Moore drew his handgun and shot Garlington multiple times at point-blank range while struggling with him. Garlington later died of his injuries. 

Now Moore is continuing to receive care and rehabilitation at a local hospital for his injuries, APD officials said. Cyrus recently survived cancer and received emergency veterinary treatment the night he was stabbed. He's expected to make a full recovery.

"This is a terrible and tragic situation for everyone involved, including our officer, his family, our department and this community, as well as the young man who lost his life and his family," Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said in a statement on Tuesday. "What we are facing in Colorado and across the nation is not a growing concern, but a full-scale mental health crisis. If we want different outcomes, we need sustainable mental health infrastructure and long-term care, not just short-term contact."

Moore joined the Aurora Police Department in November 2012 and has been assigned to the K9 Unit since March 2019, the department said.

The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the police shooting and APD is also investigating its response to the call. Moore has not yet been able to be interviewed due to the severity of his injuries, APD said.

"Our residents deserve transparency, and we remain committed to providing a neutral, fact-based account of the April 9 incident," Chamberlain said. "At the same time, protecting the integrity of the ongoing investigations is paramount. The body camera footage will be released through our standard process as soon as Mark is well enough to speak with investigators and provide his statement."