The Craig officer who police said shot a man late last month is back on duty after being placed on administrative leave, according to Colorado State Patrol records filed May 11.

Craig police officer Dalton Caudell shot Craig resident Troy Wade Curtis Jr., 36, the morning of April 26, according to Craig City Attorney Heather Cannon.

Following the shooting, Caudell was placed on paid administrative leave as part of standard protocol for the Craig Police Department, according to an April 26 news release from the police department.

“An internal review will be conducted separately from the ongoing criminal investigation,” states the department’s April 26 news release.

Caudell was identified as the involved officer on May 1 in another news release from the police department. The victim’s identification came on May 12, over two weeks after the shooting, after Craig Press staff contacted Cannon.

At approximately 8:43 a.m. April 26, Craig police officers responded to a report at the address of a male subject allegedly armed with a handgun, according to a news release issued later that day by Craig police.

The initial call to law enforcement was made regarding suicide threats, according to the Colorado State Patrol incident log filed April 26.

“Shots were exchanged between the subject and law enforcement,” the April 26 release from Craig police stated. “The subject was struck during the exchange, and officers immediately rendered medical aid until paramedics arrived on scene.”

Curtis Jr., who owns the home at 730 Ashley Road, allegedly shot his weapon before Caudell, according to 14th Judicial District Attorney Matt Karzen. It is not clear who Curtis Jr. shot at and no information about the circumstances of the incident have been provided by officials.

Karzen added that Curtis Jr. was the only person involved in the shooting who “suffered a gunshot wound.”

As of May 13, Curtis Jr. had been released from the hospital and “returned home,” according to Karzen.

On April 28, Police Chief Mike Cochran said the Craig Police Department was not involved with the investigation related to the shooting, per Critical Incident Response Team protocol, and directed all questions regarding the shooting to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, the agency conducting the investigation.

The 14th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Response Team is an independent, multi-agency group responsible for conducting “thorough and impartial investigations into critical incidents involving law enforcement” in Moffat, Routt and Grand counties, according to the April 26 release.

On May 6, Grand County Sheriff’s Office Communications Director Erin Opsahl stated that the “Craig Police Department will remain primary for any releases when appropriate, and our office has been directed to return any correspondence back to them.”

Cannon directed questions about the shooting to Karzen, adding that the district attorney, “has requested that all future requests for information be made directly to his office so he can ensure consultation with the (Critical Response Incident Team) stakeholders as to maintain the integrity of the investigation,” after Steamboat Pilot & Today staff requested further information from the Craig Police Department and Grand County Sheriff’s Office.

In a Tuesday email to Craig Press staff regarding Caudell being back on duty, Karzen said, “I am not sure what the status of the administrative process is internally with the city — Chief Cochran or Heather Cannon would know though.”

“The DA’s office review is only to assess for any criminal liability by the participants, we are not involved in the city personnel decisions,” Karzen said in another Tuesday email. 

On Tuesday, Cochran and Cannon did not respond to comment on Caudell’s employment status before the deadline for this newspaper.

It is unclear how long Caudell has been back on duty after his administrative leave, but incident logs show he responded to several calls as early as May 11.

While the Critical Incident Response Team is leading the investigation of the shooting, Karzen’s office is in charge of prosecuting any related cases.

As of Tuesday afternoon, no charges had been filed in relation to the shooting.