PARK COUNTY, Colo. - Three Park County sheriff's deputies were shot, one was killed, while serving a high-risk eviction notice to a Bailey man who had a contentious relationship with law enforcement. 
 
 “It is a dark day," said Susan Medina, spokeswoman for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, who has taken the lead in the shooting investigation. 
 
 The man at the home at 36 Iris Drive, Martin Wirth, was armed with a rifle and opened fire on the deputies, according to Medina. 
 
 Park County Sheriff Fred Wegener had just arrived on scene just after 9:48 a.m. Wednesday when patrol officers were about to make contact with Wirth, the sheriff's office said. 
 
 "Wirth came out on his deck, paused and then went back inside. Officers quickly followed Wirth inside the residence. As they entered, Wirth fired upon them. Officers returned fire," Undersheriff Monte Gore explained in a news release. "Wirth was shot and killed by deputies returning fire." 
 
 The deputy who was shot and died at the scene was a 13-year veteran of the Park County Sheriff's Office. He was identified Wednesday afternoon as Nate Carrigan, who has coached football and baseball at Platte Canyon High School. 
 
 Master Patrol Deputy Kolby Martin, who has 11 years with Park County, was shot multiple times in the lower extremities, and Capt. Mark Hancock, who has 21 years with Park County, was grazed in the ear, the sheriff's office said. 
 
 Martin was airlifted to Saint Anthony’s Hospital in Denver with life-threatening injuries and Hancock was also transported by ambulance to Saint Antony’s. Martin remains in critical condition and Hancock has been released, Medina said in an afternoon news conference. 
 
 -- Suspect Martin Wirth known to authorities -- 
 
 Wirth's body remained outside the home, in the snow, hours after the shootout, as investigators combed through the crime scene. (See photo below.) 
 
 The CBI said it will be at the crime scene all evening, conducting interviews and canvassing the neighborhood. 
 
 Wirth had previously run for office and had been fighting foreclosure for years. He recently posted on Facebook that the cops wanted him dead. 
 
 When the deputies went to the home in the Friendship Ranch subdivision, they were prepared for the eviction to be contentious, and there were eight deputies on hand, Medina said. 
 
 The person in the home was known to authorities, and "they had background information on the suspect in this case," Medina said, but didn’t elaborate. 
 
 The bomb squad. the SWAT team and the ATF, were called to the shooting scene as a precaution but they were sent home later in the day. 
 
 During the initial response to the shootout, the Park County Sheriff's Office asked for help for all nearby law enforcement agencies. More than 100 law enforcement responded. 
 
 "I contacted the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and requested that they take the lead in this ongoing investigation," Gore said. "The response from our brother and sister Law Enforcement agencies, and our community, is truly heartwarming and overwhelming. We do not require additional resources at this time." 
 
 -- Community asked to turn on lights -- 
 
 AIRTRACKER7 flew over the scene and showed a road block at Iris and Pine drives, near the Deer Creek Christian Camp. 
 
 Platte Canyon and Fitzsimmons Middle School were placed on lockdown, but that lockdown has been lifted. Deer Creek Elementary School remained on lockout for the day. 
 
 Park County said it will hold a vigil Wednesday night at Platte Canyon Community Church at 6 p.m. for the Park County deputies. The county also asked residents to turn on their porch lights Wednesday night for Corporal Nate Carrigan. 
 
 Community has dealt with tragedy 
 
 Park County has dealt with tragedy before. In September 2006, a gunman terrorized students and staff at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey. 
 
 The suspect took six girls hostage. He killed one of the hostages before turning the gun on himself. 
 
 That hostage, 16-year-old Emily Keyes, was able to send a text to her parents before she died. It said, "I love U guys." 
 
 Park County 
 
 Many people in the Denver metro area have driven through Park County on Highway 285. Park County includes the towns of Bailey and Fairplay. 
 
 Park County covers over 2,200 square miles and is larger than the state of Delaware. It stretches just over 50 miles from north to south and about 40 miles from east to west. The homes in Park County are on open land and are far apart from one another. 
 
 Second officer involved shooting in a week 
 
 This is the second officer-involved shooting Denver7 has covered in three days. On Monday, a Denver police officer was shot by a burglary suspect, who was later shot and killed by officers following a brief chase. 
 
 There have been 14 officers shot in Colorado in the last 3 months. Read more. 
 
 --------- Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines. 
 
 Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads, Android and Kindle. ||||| A suspect is dead after shooting three deputies -- one of which died and another who is in critical condition -- Wednesday morning in Bailey. 
 
 It happened at 9:48 a.m. on Wednesday when police say eight deputies were trying to serve a high-risk eviction notice at 36 Iris Drive. 
 
 The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Martin Wirth had been going through a lengthy eviction dispute over the property. 
 
 Police say Wirth came out to his deck, paused and then went back inside. Officers then followed him inside the residence. As they entered, police say Wirth fired at the officers. Officers returned fire, shooting Wirth, who died at the scene. 
 
 Corporal Nate Carrigan, who was with Park County Sheriff's Office for 13 years, was shot and died at the scene. 
 
 Susan Medina, spokeswoman for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, said Carrigan served his community "in a superior way" during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. 
 
 “He made the ultimate sacrifice today in his service to that community,” Medina said. “And, as we go into the evenings and we are doing things with our families, we just ask that you keep Nate and his entire family in your thoughts." 
 
 Master Patrol Deputy Kolby Martin, who has 11 years experience with Park County, was shot multiple times in the lower extremities. Martin was taken into surgery at St. Anthony Hospital where he remains in critical condition. 
 
 Captain Mark Hancock, who has 21 years experience with the Park County Sheriff's Office, was grazed in the ear. He was taken to the hospital and was later released. 
 
 The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office says Wirth used a rifle in the shooting. 
 
 The Colorado Fraternal Order of Police says there have now been 14 officers shot in the state in the past three months. 
 
 Three deputies shot, one killed in Bailey <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">One deputy has been killed and two other deputies were shot in Bailey, which is located in Park County.</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">One deputy has been killed and two other deputies were shot in Bailey, which is located in Park County.</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">One deputy has been killed and two other deputies were shot in Bailey, which is located in Park County.</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">One deputy has been killed and two other deputies were shot in Bailey, which is located in Park County.</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">One deputy has been killed and two other deputies were shot in Bailey, which is located in Park County.</span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">One deputy has been killed and two other deputies were shot in Bailey, which is located in Park County.</span></p> 
 
 Copyright 2016 KUSA ||||| Gunman Martin Wirth also died in the shootout with Park County sheriff's deputies at Bailey 
 
 BAILEY — A political activist opened fire on Park County sheriff's deputies trying to evict him from his mountain home Wednesday, killing one deputy and wounding two others. The gunman also died. 
 
 The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. at the secluded Friendship Ranch subdivision, said Susan Medina, a Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman. 
 
 "It is a dark day," Medina said. 
 
 The deputy who died, Cpl. Nate Carrigan, was a 13-year veteran of the Park County Sheriff's Office and a beloved high school baseball and football coach. 
 
 Carrigan became the first deputy killed in the line of duty at the sheriff's office, officials said. 
 
 The shooting happened around 9:30 a.m. at the Friendship Ranch subdivision, said Susan Medina, a Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post) 
 
 Master Patrol Deputy Kolby Martin, an 11-year veteran of the office, was shot multiple times in the lower extremities and was in critical condition at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood. 
 
 Capt. Mark Hancock, a 21-year veteran of the office, was shot in the ear but was treated and released. 
 
 READ: Slain deputy was a beloved high school coach. 
 
 Eight members of the sheriff's office — including Sheriff Fred Wegener — converged on the snow-covered, three-acre property on Iris Drive Wednesday morning for what they termed "a high-risk writ of restitution." 
 
 Advertisement 
 
 They were seeking to evict Martin Wirth, a 58-year-old Occupy Denver activist and former Green Party candidate for state Senate who had complained previously about law enforcement harassment. 
 
 Property records show Wirth defaulted on the property in 2013 and has been battling foreclosure and eviction. 
 
 "Wirth came out on his deck paused and then went back inside," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Officers quickly followed Wirth inside the residence. As they entered Wirth fired upon them. Officers returned fire." 
 
 Wirth was armed with a rifle, the sheriff's office said. 
 
 Neighbors in the heavily wooded, quiet subdivision said they heard a volley of quick shots. 
 
 Susana Gibson's dogs were barking, and then she heard shots. 
 
 "It was, 'Pop! Pop! Pop!'" she said. "And then a few minutes later I heard, 'Boom! Boom!'" 
 
 READ: Martin Wirth was an Occupy Denver activist 
 
 In a Facebook posting in January, Wirth said he had clashed with police before and "one cop repeatedly punched my face and knocked out two of my teeth after others piled on. This was after aiming loaded pistols while screaming threats at me." 
 
 Wirth also said: "Because I ran for State Senate, I am a high value target ... they want me dead." 
 
 A website for the Colorado Foreclosure Resistance Coalition had posted a notice in 2014 that Wirth faced eviction and urged people to go to the home to support him. 
 
 "We are now calling for a non-violent eviction resistance at Martin's," said a statement on the group's website. "(Wirth) has been an invaluable part of Occupy Denver from the very early days, he has sheltered people on several occasions as well as hosting the Occupy retreat. His property is an amazing mountain escape with lots of room for tents and camping." 
 
 Later, Occupy Denver revoked its support for Wirth, saying in a Facebook posting that it "cannot in good conscience as an organization support the tactics he is proposing." 
 
 Occupy Denver posted a Facebook statement Wednesday that said: "We are sorry to share that Martin Wirth, so long active working to end fraudulent foreclosures and evictions, is reported to have died in a shootout with police this morning in Bailey Colorado. Martin recently shared with friends that he was experiencing harassment by the police." 
 
 Wirth had several run-ins with the law. In 1994 he was arrested in the shooting death of another man after becoming upset during a chess game. He was later acquitted. 
 
 Terry Rogers, Wirth's neighbor and a pastor in Bailey, said people knew Wirth as having strong anti-government views. He heard about Wirth's involvement in groups that supported that cause. 
 
 Sheriff's deputies would periodically be at Wirth's house, Rogers said, and one time he fought with the county about code violations for the number of animals he had on his property. 
 
 "He was kind of a loner — a recluse," Rogers said. 
 
 Rogers said he interacted only occasionally with Wirth, like once when Wirth's goats got loose. 
 
 Federal, state and law enforcement officials from other counties came to Bailey to assist in the investigation. Officers in body armor and carrying long guns were behind police tape near the shooting scene. 
 
 "Right now what we can do as a community is come together," Medina said 
 
 Residents brought food and water to law enforcement officers at the scene. 
 
 At about 4 p.m., an ambulance escorted by several sheriff's vehicles left Bailey and headed toward Jefferson. 
 
 Jeff Scott owns the Crow Hill Cafe in Bailey and lives in Friendship Ranch. The neighborhood is typically quiet, he said. 
 
 "I usually hear horses making noise and livestock," Scott said. "Certainly not gunshots other than people doing target practice." 
 
 At about 6 p.m., people began congregating at the Platte Canyon Community Church in Bailey for a vigil. 
 
 "When you're from a small mountain community, you care," Chris Whetzel said, tears running down his face, before walking into the chapel. "When you live in the mountains, you have to take care of each other." 
 
 Inside the small church, community members — some of them in high school letter jackets and others in cowboy hats — packed in and gathered in hushed circles to mourn and remember. There was no planned service, but rather just a need to be with each other. 
 
 Mourners hugged and whispered words of encouragement. 
 
 "We'll be here as long as we need to be," Pastor Rogers told the group. 
 
 Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ehernandez 
 
 Staff researcher Vickie Makings contributed to this report. ||||| BAILEY, Colo. (AP) — A shooting killed a sheriff's deputy and a suspect in a Colorado mountain community Wednesday and left two other deputies wounded, authorities said. 
 
 The shooting happened in the town of Bailey, about 45 miles southwest of Denver in Park County, said Jacki Kelley, spokeswoman of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. 
 
 Park County is a smaller, largely rural county and sometimes gets assistance from larger outside agencies. Neither the circumstances of the shooting nor the conditions of the wounded deputies were immediately clear. 
 
 The picturesque town is where a gunman took several girls hostage in a high school classroom a decade ago, killing one of them before himself. Duane Morrison, a 53-year-old drifter, held the girls for nearly four hours and sexually assaulted them in September 2006. 
 
 He fatally shot 16-year-old Emily Keyes and then killed himself as SWAT team members stormed the classroom at Platte Canyon High School.
– One sheriff's deputy was killed and two others were injured during a shooting in the "picturesque town" of Bailey, Colorado, on Wednesday morning, the AP reports. The suspect was also killed by deputies returning fire, the Denver Channel reports. One of the deputies who was shot has life-threatening injuries, according to the Denver Post. 9News identified the deceased deputy as Nate Carrigan, who had been with the Park County Sheriff's Office for 12 years. A Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokesperson says the resident of the home, Martin Wirth, was armed with a rifle and attacked the deputies. The Post says Wirth was an Occupy Denver activist who faced foreclosure after defaulting on the house in 2013, and notes that the Colorado Foreclosure Resistance Coalition had called for a "non-violent eviction resistance" for Wirth, who "has been an invaluable part of Occupy Denver from the very early days." Wirth also ran for Colorado senate in 2014—the same year Fannie Mae took control of his home—as a member of the Green Party, losing to a Republican incumbent.