DENVER (AP) - A man shot and wounded two suburban Denver police officers Saturday night when they went to his residence to check on his welfare, authorities said.
The injured female and male officers returned fire, wounding the gunman, and he was arrested following the shooting in Lakewood, a few miles west of downtown Denver.
Lakewood police spokesman Sgt. Randy McNitt said all three were hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries.
He told The Associated Press that the officers' bullet-proof vests "played a key role" in saving their lives.
The violence erupted around 10 p.m. MDT when the two were sent to a residence to check on the man, after his wife told police he was despondent and was worried about him.
McNitt said that as the police arrived, the suspect came outside and opened fire with a handgun.
There was no further information on the extent of the injuries following the exchange of gunfire. No names were released.
Station KMGH reported that police also searched the man's home to see if he had weapons other than the handgun.
The residence was located near the intersection of West Jewell Avenue and South Kipling Street.
Police say the investigation will last through the night and the intersection will remain closed until morning.
The station said at least 14 police vehicles and 5 emergency vehicles, as well as vehicles from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, responded to the shooting.
Associated Press writer Bob Seavey in Phoenix contributed to this story.