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Nicholas Graham Lakewood Police Shooting: What We Know

By the Undercurrent desk · Published

Video · 3:12 · Watch on YouTube

What happened to Lakewood police Agent Nicholas Graham? Lakewood, Colorado police say that on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, an agent recognized a man wanted in a hit-and-run from earlier that afternoon as he was boarding an RTD bus at West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard. Police say that as agents approached, he turned and opened fire. Four agents were hit. Agent Nicholas Graham, 33, died. Agents returned fire and the man died at the scene. He was never charged, and we are not naming him.

What's confirmed

  1. Thu., Nov. 5, about 3:45 p.m.Lakewood police responded to a hit-and-run near Kipling Street and West 13th Avenue. Witnesses told police the person ran from the area and gave agents a description. (Lakewood Police Dept. release, Nov. 6; CBS Colorado)
  2. 6:29 p.m.police say an agent recognized the man boarding an RTD bus near Colfax and Wadsworth (RTD Route 76), confirmed his identity and called for backup. (Lakewood Police Dept. release; CBS Colorado; KRDO)
  3. Police say that as agents approached to contact him, he turned and opened fire. The "shots fired" call went out at about 6:32 p.m. and "officer down" at 6:33 p.m. (Lakewood Police Dept. release)
  4. Agents returned fire. The man died at the scene. (Lakewood Police Dept. release; CBS Colorado; Denver7; The Colorado Sun)
  5. Four agents were struck. Two have been released from the hospital; police say the third remains hospitalized and is expected to recover. A bystander was also hurt; police say the extent of that person's injuries is unknown. (Lakewood Police Dept. release; CBS Colorado; Denver Gazette)
  6. The fourth agent, Nicholas Graham, 33, died. He joined the Lakewood Police Department on Jan. 14, 2019, worked patrol and moved to investigations. On the Major Crimes team he worked 322 cases, the highest caseload on the team, according to the department. (Lakewood Police Dept. release; KDVR; CBS Colorado; Denver7)
  7. Gov. Jared Polis said he was "heartbroken to learn that a Lakewood Police Agent was killed in the line of duty" and wished the wounded agents and the bystander a full recovery. (Gov. Polis statement, via KRDO, Nov. 5)
  8. The 1st Judicial District Attorney's Office Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) is investigating the agents' response; Lakewood police are investigating the rest. (Lakewood Police Dept. release; CBS Colorado)

What we don't know

  • Why the man opened fire. Police haven't said.
  • What the CIRT review of the agents' response will find, and when.
  • The bystander's condition (police: unknown).
  • The man's identity: other outlets have reported a name. He was never charged with a crime, so we don't name him.

What happens next

  • The 1st Judicial District DA's review of the shooting.
  • Lakewood police say updates, and the only official donation link for the agents' families, are at LakewoodCO.gov/2026LPDTragedy.
  • We'll update this as Lakewood police release more.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Lakewood, Colorado police shooting: overview
  2. 0:20Lakewood shooting: Colfax and Wadsworth
  3. 0:38Lakewood shooting: hit-and-run to bus stop
  4. 1:27Lakewood police shooting: four agents hit
  5. 1:44Agent Nicholas Graham: who he was
  6. 2:20Lakewood shooting: the review, what's open

Sources

  1. Lakewood Police Dept. / City of Lakewood, "Update: Fallen Lakewood Police Agent Identified," Nov. 6, 2026 Primary recordlakewoodco.gov/City-News-Media-Contacts/Update-Fallen-Lakewood-Police-Agent-Identified
  2. CBS Colorado, Nov. 6, 2026 Reportingcbsnews.com/colorado/news/lakewood-police-agent-killed-shootout-rtd-bus-identified-nic-graham/
  3. CBS Colorado, Nov. 5, 2026 Reportingcbsnews.com/colorado/news/officer-involved-shooting-under-investigation-in-lakewood/
  4. KDVR, Nov. 6, 2026 Reportingkdvr.com/news/local/lakewood-agent-killed-in-police-shooting-identified/
  5. Denver Gazette, Nov. 6, 2026 Reportingdenvergazette.com/2026/11/06/lakewood-mourns-agent-killed-in-thursday-shooting/
  6. Denver7, Nov. 5, 2026 Reportingdenver7.com/news/crime/officer-involved-shooting-under-investigation-in-lakewood-thursday-night
  7. The Colorado Sun, Nov. 5, 2026 Reportingcoloradosun.com/2026/11/05/lakewood-shooting-police-officers-killed-wounded/
  8. KRDO, Nov. 5, 2026 Reportingkrdo.com/news/2026/11/05/one-officer-killed-three-others-injured-in-shooting-on-rtd-bus-in-lakewood/

The record · as of Nov. 8, 2026

How we know

Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.

What happens next

We check these records for changes: Colorado Sun live story; Governor's press releases: Lakewood agent statement / flags-lowered order; CBS Colorado live story: agent name, conditions, CIRT/CBI lead.

Verified timeline

  1. 2026-11-05Lakewood PD spokesperson John Romero briefed reporters at the scene at about 9:30 p.m.; he said police had not yet released the names of the agent killed, the wounded agents or the suspect, and said 'our main concern is the family of our fallen agent.'CBS Colorado (9:30 p.m. briefing); The Colorado Sun (Romero quotes, names not released)
  2. 2026-11-05About 6:30 p.m. MST: police say they got calls about a suspicious person trying to board an RTD-contracted bus on Route 76 at West Colfax Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood. (Denver7: 'attempting to force his way onto' the bus, outlier. Gazette: person 'on' the bus. Romero could not confirm on vs at the bus.)Colorado Sun; KRDO; CBS Colorado; Denver7; Gazette
  3. 2026-11-05Police say that as agents approached/contacted him, the man opened fire on them ('within seconds', KRDO via 9NEWS; 'immediately', Gazette via 9NEWS). Attributed to police only.Colorado Sun; KRDO; CBS Colorado; Denver7; Gazette
  4. 2026-11-05Agents returned fire; the man was shot and pronounced dead at the scene. He was never charged; never named or shown by us. The agents' shots are an officer-involved shooting under review: no characterization.Colorado Sun; KRDO; CBS Colorado; Denver7; Gazette
  5. 2026-11-05Four Lakewood police agents were shot: one killed in the line of duty, three hospitalized (conditions not released by LPD).Colorado Sun; KRDO; CBS Colorado; Denver7; Gazette; Denverite; KDVR
  6. 2026-11-05One civilian bystander was injured.Colorado Sun; KRDO; CBS Colorado; Denver7; Gazette
  7. 2026-11-05Evening: RTD statement: 'deeply concerned by the shooting that occurred this evening aboard an RTD-contracted operated bus servicing Route 76 in Lakewood. Our thoughts are with those affected directly by this incident.'CBS Colorado; Colorado Sun; Denver7; KRDO
  8. 2026-11-05Evening: Gov. Jared Polis statement: '...I am heartbroken to learn that a Lakewood Police Agent was killed in the line of duty this evening. My heart goes out to their family and friends.' Wording conflict: CBS/KRDO print 'everyday', Denver7 'every day,'.KRDO; CBS Colorado; Denver7; Colorado Sun; Gazette
  9. 2026-11-05Per Gov. Polis: Colorado State Patrol on scene to assist; Colorado Bureau of Investigation supporting the investigation. Lead reviewing agency not stated. (Search snippet re Jefferson County CIRT unconfirmed.)KRDO; Gazette
  10. 2026-11-05About 9:30 p.m.: LPD PIO John Romero briefed reporters ('called to the intersection of West Colfax Ave. and Wadsworth Blvd. on reports of a suspicious person'; 'our main concern is the family of our fallen agent'). Time from CBS.CBS Colorado; Colorado Sun
  11. 2026-11-06As of Nov. 6 morning searches: police have not named the fallen agent, the three wounded agents, the bystander or the man who opened fire. No LPD written release found.Colorado Sun; CBS Colorado; Gazette; web search Nov 6

Also in our research file

Updates and corrections

No corrections to this page. Spot an error? corrections@undercurrentdaily.com

Map: U.S. Census TIGER (public domain). Photos: Lakewood Police Dept.; Xnatedawgx / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Every account of the shooting here is attributed to Lakewood police. The agents' use of force is under independent review; we make no judgment on it.

The story beneath the headline, every week: free newsletter at https://undercurrentdaily.substack.com

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist

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