GOLDEN, Colo. — The identity of the suspected DUI driver in the Wednesday night crash that killed one Golden police officer and injured another has been released.

Stephen Geer, 43, was charged with vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Geer is also charged with two counts of vehicular assault while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and causing serious injury to another person, according to the Colorado State Patrol and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

The two Golden officers stopped on Highway 58 to investigate a previous crash involving a pink Toyota Tacoma and a silver Subaru that happened around 4:38 p.m. Wednesday, according to the arrest affidavit of Geer. Both cars were stopped on the side of Highway 58 with one of the drivers and her father outside the vehicles with both officers.

The driver of a black Mazda then rear-ended the Tacoma and Subaru around 4:53 p.m., according to the arrest affidavit, striking all four people who were sitting on the side of the road.

An officer was pinned under the Subaru and later pronounced dead. Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey said the officer’s wife asked that his name not be released. The police chief only identified the fallen officer as a 33-year-old man. This is Colorado’s first line-of-duty death of 2024, according to the report Officer memorial page down.

“He is an amazing human being. He had a long and stellar career in the military where he flew Black Hawk helicopters and served as a commander,” Harvey said. “He will be survived by a wonderful wife, sister and parents… Domestically, he will be survived by 71 members of his Golden family.”

The other Golden police officer hit in the crash suffered a fractured cheekbone, according to Geer’s arrest affidavit. The driver of the Tacoma suffered a fractured skull and brain bleeding, and her father was thrown over the freeway barrier, cutting his head and elbow.

After the black Mazda driver allegedly hit the four people, he got out of the car. The driver of the Subaru asked him if he was in the car at the time of the crash, and the driver of the black Mazda said he was behind the wheel, according to the arrest affidavit.

Another police officer arrived at the scene and spoke with Geer, asking him to submit to roadside tests, the arrest affidavit states.

Geer told the officer he worked at the Colorado School of Mines and stopped for a beer before driving home. Geer said he saw flashing yellow lights and tried to stop, but failed and rear-ended a stopped vehicle. He remembered hearing screams but struggled to remember anything else, arrest documents state.

Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson released the following statement in response to news of the accident:

“Mines has been advised by the Golden Police Department that one of our employees was involved in the fatal accident in Golden on November 6th. The community of Mines is deeply saddened by yesterday’s tragic loss of a Gold police officer and the injury of a second officer while responding to an accident on Colorado 58. The officers, their families, their colleagues in the Gold Police Department and all others deeply affected by this devastating event, are in our thoughts and prayers. We grieve with them today as we pray for the recovery of the injured officer and will look for ways to provide support during this incredibly difficult time.”

After conducting a series of roadside tests, law enforcement officers gave Geer a written copy of his Miranda rights. After reading the document and signing it, Geer refused to talk to officers or participate in any further tests, according to his arrest affidavit.

Geer will appear in court at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, according to court records. His bond was set at $250,000.

Gold police officer fatally struck by suspected DUI driver while investigating crash on Highway 58