A 62-year-old man who opened fire inside a primary care doctor’s office in Evergreen on Thursday night before taking his own life was previously a patient at the facility, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
Investigators identified Lance Black, an Evergreen resident, as the person who fired a shotgun 19 times inside the CommonSpirit Primary Care office at 32214 Ellingwood Trail.
Deputies began responding to calls about gunshots in the medical office at 4:23 p.m. Thursday and arrived on scene at 4:28 p.m., where they found broken windows, the sheriff’s office said in a news release Friday afternoon.
Deputies entered the building and found Black, armed with a shotgun, the sheriff’s office said. They tried to de-escalate the situation, but Black fatally shot himself.
Investigators found that Black shot at doors, walls, computers and other equipment during the shooting. No one was injured and no other businesses were damaged, other than a single round that entered a vacant office.
Sheriff’s officials confirmed Black was a patient at the facility in the past, but said investigators are still looking into his motive.
“We are confident he acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the public,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Court records show Black has at least three misdemeanor criminal convictions in Colorado dating back to 2000, all in Jefferson County. He pleaded guilty to attempted assault in 2000; to driving while ability impaired in 2004; and to harassment and violating a restraining order in 2007.
In a statement Friday, CommonSpirit officials said they were heartbroken that their patients and staff, along with the Evergreen community, experienced another shooting.
“We are deeply aware that the community, including our own caregivers, are still trying to recover from the shooting tragedy at Evergreen High School five months ago,” company leaders said.
All patients and staff are safe, accounted for and physically unharmed, CommonSpirit officials confirmed.
Anyone affected by the shooting can contact a victim advocate by email at [email protected] or by calling nonemergency dispatch at 303-980-7300. The Evergreen Resilience Center, 5120 Jefferson County Road 73, will be open Saturday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for people wanting to connect with advocates and mental health professionals.
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