Hiram V. Short

Lieutenant Short was traveling from his new post in Craig to Castle Rock on July 12, 1961 when he responded to a request for assistance from Colorado Department of Wildlife officer Bob Hoover. Hoover had encountered a parked vehicle occupied by Delmar Dean Spooner. When he saw a rifle, he decided to check the vehicle ownership. Spooner pulled out a Walther P38 handgun and shot Grand County Sheriff Chancy Van Pelt, who also had responded to the scene. Then he shot Short and fired at Hoover. Hoover and Van Pelt survived their injuries, but Short died during surgery. Spooner was spotted two days later by a train crew. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment in the Colorado State Penitentiary.