The 21st Judicial District Attorney's Office released its review of the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) investigation of the officer-involved shooting on March 17, 2020. District Attorney Dan Rubinstein's findings can be found here.
On March 17, 2020, officers with the Grand Junction Police Department and deputies with the Mesa County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a felony menacing that occurred on Orchard Mesa., The reporting party stated that an adult male‚ later identified as Steve Alire (DOB: 09/2/1968) had brandished a knife and a gun at a group of juveniles who were playing basketball at Orchard Mesa Middle School., The male was then reported to have gone inside a nearby residence in the 300 Block of 27 3/8 Road.
Officers made numerous attempts to contact and negotiate with Mr. Alire at his residence over a lengthy period of time. Ultimately, the incident ended with the use of deadly force when Mr. Alire reached for a firearm.
In District Attorney Rubinstein's findings, he stated, "The actions of Officers Wihera and Nelson, and Deputies Bailey and Hansen fall squarely within the use of deadly force in self-defense or defense of others justification. Accordingly, this matter is not appropriate for criminal prosecution."