At approximately 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, the Delta County Sheriff's Office received a report of three loud bangs in the 13000 block of Colorado 65, Eckert, followed by the sounds of a man screaming.
According to Sheriff Mark Taylor, a resident of the area reported that, following the noise, a male was seen outside the residence at 13442 Highway 65 with a gun in his hand.
Deputies arrived on the scene with caution, Taylor said. They managed to get phone numbers of the people inside the residence and started making calls.
A female from inside the residence told deputies that nothing was going on, but upon further investigation, it was determined that a confrontation had allegedly occurred between a man at the address, later identified as Stewart Smith Jr., and another man, Peter Hegwald Jr.
"It sounds like the owner of (the residence) may have shot at the guy's car with an airsoft or BB gun," Taylor said. The house was secured by deputies, who returned later with a search warrant.
"They recovered a bunch of stolen property," Taylor alleged. "They didn't recover any weapons and nobody was injured."
Taylor clarified that the initial report had been of three loud bangs and a male screaming, but not necessarily a gunshot. He said that, while airsoft and BB guns are not generally described as emitting loud bangs, no other guns were located at the scene.
During a portion of the investigation, Highway 65 was blocked off for potentially 30-45 minutes, Taylor said.
DCSO is still investigating the incident.
Lucas Vader is the managing editor at the Delta County Independent.
Lucas is the managing editor at the Delta County Independent and he grew up in Cedaredge. He reports on the City of Delta, Surface Creek area and covers some other odds and ends. Contact him at 970-547-9728 or editor@deltacountyindependent.com.
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