A federal grand jury has indicted a 72-year-old Colorado man accused of opening fire on a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force during a violent March confrontation in Vero Beach, bringing new federal charges nearly six months after the shooting.

Thomas Earl Steffens, of Grand Junction, Colorado, is charged with five counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, five counts of aggravated assault of a federal officer and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

If convicted, Steffens faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

Nearly Six Months After the Vero Beach Shootout

The federal indictment announced August 27 puts the March 2 shooting back in the spotlight.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Steffens was wanted on an arrest warrant in Colorado when he traveled by bus to Vero Beach.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force tracked him to the area and moved to arrest him on March 2.

Federal prosecutors allege Steffens opened fire as the task force attempted to take him into custody, striking one Deputy U.S. Marshal in the chest and leg. The deputies returned fire and Steffens was taken into custody.

The shooting occurred near 12th Street and Commerce Avenue in Vero Beach. Earlier law-enforcement accounts described a tactical takedown in which officers boxed in the vehicle carrying Steffens before gunfire erupted.

A Fugitive Wanted in Colorado

The confrontation in Vero Beach followed an investigation more than 2,000 miles away in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Grand Junction Police said officers were dispatched January 28 to investigate a reported sexual assault. Detectives later developed probable cause that Steffens had sexually assaulted a woman after possibly drugging her, according to the department.

A warrant was issued for his arrest.

The U.S. Marshals Service later identified Steffens as a former neurosurgeon at the VA hospital in Grand Junction and said he was wanted in Colorado on multiple sexual-assault charges.

Investigators learned Steffens was traveling toward Florida’s Treasure Coast and passed the information to the fugitive task force in Florida.

Gunfire During the Arrest

The U.S. Marshals Service said Steffens refused repeated commands to exit the vehicle after law enforcement located him.

Authorities allege he then fired at the officers.

Task force members returned fire, striking Steffens multiple times. The Marshals Service initially reported that a Deputy U.S. Marshal was shot in the leg and later released from the hospital. The new federal charging announcement states that the deputy was struck in the chest and leg.

Detectives from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office and Martin County Sheriff’s Office assigned to the U.S. Marshals task force were also involved in the operation.

The bullet-riddled SUV left at the scene became one of the defining images of the confrontation.

11 Federal Charges

The new federal case substantially raises the stakes for Steffens.

Federal prosecutors are now alleging that five Deputy U.S. Marshals were victims of attempted murder during the Vero Beach confrontation.

The 11-count indictment includes five attempted-murder counts, five aggravated-assault counts and one count alleging the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.

The FBI Miami Field Office is investigating the federal case with assistance from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Hoover and William C. Long are prosecuting the case.

The case is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 26-cr-14054.

An indictment is an accusation, not proof of guilt. Steffens is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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