DENVER — UPDATE (1/7): Maryville College alum and Lakewood police agent Ashley Ferris has been released from the hospital according to the Lakewood Police Department.
The Lakewood Police Department shared a video on their Facebook page of Ferris leaving the hospital with staff applauding her as Lakewood officers greeted her outside.
This story update was originally reported by KUSA.
ORIGINAL: Maryville College alum and Lakewood police agent Ashley Ferris is being hailed as a hero after stopping a Colorado mass shooting suspect.
On Dec. 27, a 47-year-old male suspect opened fire in Denver, shooting and killing three people. The suspect then traveled to Lakewood—a city just outside of Denver. While there, he shot and killed two people.
Ferris encountered the suspect as he was attempting to flee and ordered him to drop his weapon as he approached her, according to the Lakewood Police Department.
The shooter ignored her and shot her in the abdomen. Ferris, who was shot and wounded on the ground, returned fire. Ferris shot and killed the suspect, Lakewood PD said.
Ferris remains in a Colorado hospital with her family by her side. They are asking for privacy during this time of healing, according to the Lakewood PD.
"If not for the heroic efforts of Agent Ferris and other law enforcement, this incredibly violent tragedy could have been even worse," the Lakewood PD stated in a Facebook post.
The Maryville College Alumni posted on its Facebook page that Ferris had graduated from the college in 2015.
"Despite being wounded, Ashley was the officer who ended a mass shooting in Denver that tragically killed five people. We could not be more proud of Ashley and her heroic service," Maryville College Alumni stated in a Facebook post.
Donations to help support the victims, families, and survivors of the mass shooting in Lakewood and Denver can be made through the Colorado Healing Fund.