Glendale Police Chief Victor Ross stresses that this last turn of events came as a complete surprise to representatives of his force. "At no time did officers or investigators have any indication that he was suicidal," Ross says.
Here's how things went down from Ross's perspective.
"At about 8:51 in the morning, we got several calls -- and so did the Denver Police Department -- about shots being fired in the parking lot of Homestead Village, 4444 Leetsdale Drive. It's an extended-stay hotel/motel."
Officers weren't the first personnel to arrive on the scene, Ross notes.
"There was an Action Care paramedic who was actually staged there. He was in his ambulance, waiting for a call, and he was actually accosted by the guy. I don't know at this point if he saw the shooting, but he tried to get in the middle of things, and the guy pointed a gun at him -- and he took off running."
Shortly thereafter, Glendale and Denver police officers converged on the scene, quickly encountering Silva. "He still had the gun in his hand," Ross reveals. "But the officers ordered him to drop the gun, which he did, and they took him into custody without further incident."
After the arrest, Ross goes on, "he was transported to the Glendale Police station for processing and any interviewing. He was Spanish-speaking only, so we had to get a Spanish-speaking investigator to talk to him. He spoke to us briefly before he said he wanted to get an attorney. At that point, all questioning stopped, and he was held until he was transferred to Arapahoe County. That's normal procedure. We are not an extended -stay jail."
The investigation of both the original crime and Silva's suicidal plunge are ongoing, Ross says, with Glendale and the Araphaoe County Sheriff's Office working in concert. Look below to read the ACSO basics about Silva's demise:
INMATE SUICIDE INVESTIGATED BY SHERIFF'S OFFICEOn Monday February 15, 2010 at about 6:40 A.M., an inmate of the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Detentions Facility committed suicide by jumping from a second floor walkway to a concrete floor. The investigation has determined that the inmate intentionally jumped from a second floor railing to the concrete floor below, a distance of approximately eighteen (18) feet. Although detentions staff and detentions medical personnel responded to the incident immediately and provided first aid, the injuries sustained as the result of inmate's actions were fatal. The inmate is identified as:
Roberto Silva Age 54 2455 West 32nd Avenue Denver, Colorado
Silva was being held at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Detentions Facility, without bond, regarding allegations of murder in the first degree. The first degree murder allegations are being investigated by the Glendale Police Department.
