DELTA – Because the incident is still under investigation, Delta Police Chief Robert Thomas is reluctant to talk about the details of what happened just after 1 a.m. on Oct. 23 when officers shot and killed a man wielding a gun in a Delta neighborhood.

Officers went to the 600 block of Grand Ave. after reports of gunshots at 1:14 a.m. and found Larry A. Brown, 59, holding a handgun in the street.

When officers arrived, they spotted Brown, who then “turned the weapon on the officers and started firing,” Thomas said, and they fired back. None of the officers was injured.

Delta County Coroner Chalmer Swain identified Brown as a resident of Delta.

Three officers present at the shooting have been put on administrative leave in compliance with department policy, Thomas said, but he wouldn’t release their names or say much more because of the ongoing investigation.

The shooting will be investigated by the Seventh Judicial Officer Involved Shooting Team and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, he said.

“It is a tragedy whenever there is a loss of life no matter the circumstances or persons involved,” said Thomas. “Not only does the Delta Police Department care about its officers and deceased, the Delta Police Department cares about and sends its condolences to the family. The Delta Police Department also cares about community and will maintain its commitment to public safety. Since this incident is currently under investigation, I cannot provide more specific details.”

Swain ruled that Brown’s death was homicide, which simply means the killing of one person by another. Murder, on the other hand, means the crime of unlawfully killing a person, especially with malice aforethought.

The cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, Swain said.