A 'heroic' man who took down a gunman was fatally shot by a responding officer while holding the suspect's weapon, police say

• A man who took down a gunman that killed a cop was fatally shot by a responding officer, police said.
• Johnny Hurley was holding the suspect's AR-15 when the responding officer shot him.
• Hurley's actions were dubbed "heroic" by the police.

A "heroic" man who took down a suspect was fatally shot by a responding officer while holding the gunman's rifle at the scene, according to the Arvada Police Department.

The incident happened on Monday afternoon downtown in Arvada, Colorado, when the suspect, later identified as Ronald Troyke, shot and killed Police Officer Gordon Beesley with a semi-automatic shotgun, according to police.

Minutes after, the suspect continued shooting in the air and at windows of patrol cars, police said. Footage released by the department shows the suspect then went back to his vehicle to grab an AR-15.

Police said the suspect then headed back towards Arvada's Olde Town Square before he was confronted and shot by Johnny Hurley with a handgun. According to USA Today, Hurley was shopping nearby before he got involved. A responding officer arrived at the scene, saw Hurley holding the suspect's weapon, and shot him.

"Our police department and community's view of Mr. Hurley's actions are heroic," Arvada Police Chief Link Strate said in a video statement. "It is clear that Mr. Hurley intervened in an active shooting that unfolded quickly in a busy commercial area in the middle of the day, and he did so without hesitation. Mr. Hurley's actions saved others from serious injury or death."

During their investigation, police said the suspect had a note with multiple anti-cop messages, including: "My goal today is to kill Arvada PD officers" and "I just hope I don't die without killing any of you pigs."

A GoFundMe was set up for the Hurley family earlier this week. The family also released a statement that described Johnny as "a wonderful human being with a great enthusiasm for life," KDVR-TV reported.

"We are deeply moved by the outpouring of love from the community and are grateful for the support of the Arvada Police Department and their partners," the statement said. "We don't yet have all of the information about what happened to Johnny, and we look forward to learning the outcome of a thorough and independent investigation.

Police said a Critical Incident Response Team is investigating Hurley's death, and the killing of Officer Beesley is being investigated separately by the department.