The Grand Junction Police Department is releasing the following information on behalf of the 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT).
All officer-involved shootings in Mesa County are investigated by the 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, which is comprised of representatives of the Grand Junction Police Department, Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Fruita Police Department, Palisade Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, Colorado Department of Corrections, 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and Colorado Bureau of Investigation. CIRT is activated when a law enforcement agency is involved in a critical incident to ensure an independent investigation. Because Mesa County Sheriff’s Office personnel were involved in this incident, the Grand Junction Police Department led this investigation on behalf of CIRT.
On Sunday, March 7, 2021, deputies with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the 400 block of Coronado Court, where an officer involved shooting occurred. One adult male suspect was shot and transported to the hospital with serious injuries. A previous release of the incident can be found here.
The 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) was activated, and detectives with the Grand Junction Police Department began a thorough investigation into the officer involved shooting. Based on the investigation, detectives have obtained a signed arrest warrant which includes domestic violence related charges that occurred during the incident, for Jason Unangst, age 33, of Clifton, CO. Due to injuries sustained during the incident, Unangst is being monitored at a local hospital and has not been medically cleared. The charges in the arrest warrant include:
- Murder in the first degree (attempt) – F2
- Assault in the first degree – F3
- Assault in the second degree – F4
- Assault in the third degree – M1
- Felony menacing – F5
- Second degree kidnapping – F4
- False Imprisonment – M2
- Child Abuse – M2
- Assault in the second degree – F4 (two counts against law enforcement)
- Obstructing a peace officer – M2
- Second degree arson – F4
- Fourth degree arson – F4
- Violation of a protection order – M2
- Vehicular eluding – F5
- Reckless driving – M2
- Domestic Violence
The arrest affidavit in this case has been sealed by the court and no further details are available for release at this time.