On November 29, 2023, Cortez Police Sergeant Michael Moran, 46, was fatally shot during a traffic stop on South Broadway at about 11:25 a.m. The stop had been made after a report of a reckless driver. Almost immediately after the stop began, shots were fired and Sergeant Moran was struck. He was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital, where he died.

Officers located the suspect’s vehicle about a mile and a half away within minutes. A second exchange of gunfire occurred and the suspect, later identified as 44-year-old Jason Campbell of Ogden, Utah, was shot and killed. A second person who had been in the vehicle was taken into custody, interviewed, and released; authorities say no other suspects are being sought. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.

Moran was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Iraq, had been with the Cortez Police Department for 11 years, was a former K-9 handler, and was a father to two daughters. Does anyone in the area have information about that day or about the vehicle involved?