Campus Alert Archive
UNC

A Felony Warrant, the Garden Theatre, and a Self-Inflicted End: Officer-Involved Shooting on UNC's Greeley Campus

COpolice activityemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Greeley Police shot at 41-year-old Theodore Lee Rybus near the Garden Theatre on UNC's Greeley campus around 8:30 PM MDT on June 18, 2025, after Rybus pointed a gun at officers attempting to arrest him on a felony motor-vehicle-theft warrant. Rybus also fired a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at a hospital. UNC Alert pushed a shelter-in-place during the incident, with no other injuries reported.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Northern Colorado
Public R2 · CO
~9,230 studentsRaveUNC Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction158 chars
UNC Alert: Police activity on central campus near the Garden Theatre. Shelter in place. Stay away from doors and windows. Avoid the area until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The alert went out shortly after Greeley Police lost contact with Rybus on foot in the area of 18th Street and the Garden Theatre — a campus performing arts building
UNC was operating on summer schedule, meaning the on-campus population was a fraction of the academic-year norm but residence halls remained occupied
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction198 chars
UNC Alert: Continue to shelter in place. Police are actively investigating an officer-involved shooting near the Garden Theatre. Multiple law enforcement agencies on scene. Do NOT approach the area.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The update made the officer-involved shooting public, a transparency choice driven by the visible police presence in central campus
The 19th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team was activated; UNC's alerts coordinated with that protocol rather than getting out ahead of it
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction191 chars
UNC Alert: Shelter-in-place lifted. The scene near the Garden Theatre is contained. There is no ongoing threat to campus. Counseling and Psychological Services available 24/7 at 970-351-2496.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear was issued after the Garden Theatre scene had been processed by detectives and the Weld County coroner
Including the 24/7 Counseling and Psychological Services number reflects UNC's standing practice for incidents of this gravity, even when no students were directly impacted
Context

Background

The officer-involved shooting unfolded over roughly 30 minutes on a summer Wednesday night. Greeley Police had attempted a traffic stop on Theodore Lee Rybus near 18th Street for an active felony warrant for motor vehicle theft. Rybus refused to stop and officers broke off the pursuit before locating him on foot near UNC's Garden Theatre, a performing arts venue at the heart of campus. According to the Weld County DA's report, Rybus held a gun to his own head, refused officer commands to drop it, then turned toward two officers with the gun in his hand. Two Greeley officers fired; Rybus also discharged the weapon, sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound that proved fatal. The DA's office later found the officers' use of force justified. Because the incident occurred during summer term with a reduced on-campus population, UNC's shelter-in-place affected fewer students than an academic-year incident would have.
Analysis

Key Findings

An officer-involved shooting in the heart of UNC's Greeley campus prompted a shelter-in-place during summer term, when residence halls remained partially occupied
The suspect's cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, even though Greeley Police officers had also fired their weapons
The Weld County DA's office later found the use of force by the two Greeley officers to be justified
UNC's three-message alert sequence prioritized transparency about the officer-involved nature of the shooting after the immediate scene was contained
Outcome
Theodore Lee Rybus, 41, died at the hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Two Greeley Police officers also fired their weapons; the [Weld County DA found their use of force justified](https://kdvr.com/news/local/greeley-officers-deemed-justified-for-part-in-deadly-shooting-on-unc-campus/). No officers, students, or staff were injured. UNC was on summer schedule with reduced campus population.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Greeley police shoot, kill suspect on University of Northern Colorado campus
    cbsnews.com
  2. Source
    Man Dies in Officer-Involved Shooting on University of Northern Colorado Campus
    campussafetymagazine.com
  3. Report
    Rybus letter and CIRT report (Weld County DA)
    weldda.com
  4. News
    Greeley officers deemed justified for part in deadly shooting on UNC campus
    kdvr.com
  5. News
    Man dead after being shot by police on University of Northern Colorado campus
    krdo.com
Tags
officer-involved-shootingshelter-in-placegreeleysummer-termself-inflictedfelony-warrantcoloradopublic-r2
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion