COLORADO SPRINGS — Colorado Springs officers are investigating after a home invasion turned into a shooting Thursday night.
Around 10:30 Thursday night, Sand Creek police officers were dispatched to 300 Gahart Drive when three suspects invaded a home. According to CSPD, shots were fired before officers arrived.
When officers reached the scene, they found a blood trail leading away from the home that ended a block away.
BOULDER, Colo. - Police say an intruder who was shot and killed inside a home in Boulder tried to break into other homes in the neighborhood just before the shooting.
The Boulder County Coroner's Office identified the suspected intruder as Roberto Zamora, 19, of Boulder.
Several neighbors told police the man was yelling at residents and banging on doors and windows as he tried to break in several homes on Pima Court.
When the man got to a home in the cul-de-sac, and banged on the rear windows, a man inside the home told police he told the female occupant of the home to call police and he grabbed his gun.
"At this point, the suspect had gone around to the front of the house and was banging loudly on the glass screen door, which was locked, continuing his attempt to break in," Boulder Police said. "The suspect shattered the glass screen door and then burst in through the front door."
Homeowner Opens Fire on Burglar
Police are trying to find a man that has broken in twice to the same house, where the homeowner chased and shot at him.
On Oct. 2, the man tried breaking into Guy Sitzman's home the second time and was caught him on tape.
Sitzman was watching security tapes from the previous hour in his computer room, when toward the end of the tape the system went back to "live" mode, and Sitzman noticed a man walking around the side of his house.
That's when he saw the man leaving through his back door carrying a rifle and a pistol.
Despite his initial fear, Sitzman said he grabbed another gun and ran after him. "I ran out back and fired two shots off at him."
The man dropped the items he stole from Sitzman's house and took off.
During the first break-in, Sitzman and his wife were in bed and the man tried breaking in through Sitzman's side window with a large hunting knife.
He was stole a computer, $200 and an iPod.
Detectives with the Adams County Sheriff Department are investigating the break-ins. They're asking people not to take matter into their own hands and instead to call 911
BOULDER, Colo. — It took three rounds from a shotgun, five bullets from a handgun and two shots from a rifle to kill the 120-pound black bear that broke into a Boulder County home early Monday morning.
The bear break-in was the fifth time in a week hungry bears have gotten into Boulder County residences, all while the residents were home. That has wildlife officials urging area residents to take precautions and bear proof their homes.
Brenda Fischer's barking dog woke her at about 2 a.m. Monday morning. When she went upstairs to investigate, she found a bear in the kitchen of her home on Poorman Road, between Sunshine and Fourmile canyons.
Fischer quickly returned downstairs to wake her two children and her husband.
"As soon as I knew there was a bear inside the house, I went to gather up both our weapon and our ammunition, because they are in two different places, and went to place myself with the weapon between the family and the bear," said Paul Fischer, Brenda's husband.
"As soon as I moved to try and make a place for him to get out, he charged me," Fischer continued. "That's when I shot him and he kept charging me. I shot him a second time, and he kept charging me. I shot him a third time and he was finally disoriented enough for me to get away."
The first two rounds from the 12-gauge shotgun were birdshot and the third was rubber bullets, according to a report by the sheriff's office. The Fischers escaped through a bedroom window, leaving the wounded bear inside the house.
When officers arrived on the scene at about 2:30 a.m., they found a bloody bear trying to claw his way through a screen door.
Sheriff's Sgt. Lance Enholm, after determining that the bear was severely injured and would need to be put down, fired his .45-caliber handgun five more times at the animal.
Aurora store owner shoots, kills robbery suspect
The owner of a check-cashing and cigarette store shot and killed an armed robber in his store early Monday afternoon, according to eyewitnesses and a vague police account.
Aurora police said they received a 911 call shortly after 1 p.m. about a gunman who attempted to rob the check-cashing store on the northwest corner of Clinton Street and East Colfax Avenue.
After investigating, police said a "possible suspect" had been shot by a person in the store.
The wounded person was driven by an unknown person to a Denver-area hospital where he died of a single gunshot wound, police said, refusing to identify the victim or the hospital where he was treated.
Police Lt. Bob Friel said detectives were hesitant to release any details until they were sure of their investigation.
However, Ryan Moench, 17, a mechanic at Muffler Pros, which his family has owned for 15 years directly across Colfax from the check-cashing store, said he heard a single gunshot, then saw two men dressed in blue running from the store, out of his view.
"I heard a shot and saw two guys running out of the store and around to the back," Moench said. He couldn't recall if one was bleeding and could give no other description.
"I could see the owner of the store in the door on the telephone. Five minutes later, the police arrived," he said.
The owner of the check-cashing business is a 56-year-old man named Tom, who has owned the business for 22 years, according to his landlord, Jim Rellos. Rellos said he couldn't remember his tenant's last name and couldn't find the lease.
"He's a good man," Rellos said. "I never have trouble with him. He runs a good business. His kid went to Machebeuf High School with one of my kids."
Friel said Tom was taken to police headquarters for questioning after the shooting.
Police also interviewed passers-by, residents and people working in the downtown Aurora neighborhood, just a few blocks west of the historic Aurora Fox Theatre.
Bear shot to death after breaking into home
A man shot a bear to death after it broke into his home in Colorado Springs.
The bear broke in through the back door of a home on Columbia court around 8 p.m. Friday night.
Colorado Springs police say the homeowner loaded his gun, after a roommate yelled that the bear had broken in. The bear roared at the homeowner several times, and went to a part of the house where it couldn't get out.
The man shot the bear 4 times, and it died. Division of Wildlife investigated, and say the homeowner was justified in the shooting.
Homeowner Fends off Alleged Armed Burglar With Gun Shot
A suspected burglar is under arrest Saturday morning after police say the homeowner took security into their own hands.
Colorado Springs police say they were called to 3295 West Woodmen Road on a report that a person armed with a knife had just broken into the caller's home. The caller told police they had used their gun to fire a shot at the armed suspect and the suspect had run away.
Police and K-9 units found the suspect in the woods with non-life threatening wound to his lower leg. He was transported to Memorial Hospital and arrested after he was released.
The suspect, Ricky Hatcher, was booked into the Criminal Justice Center for Felony Menacing.
Police say the homeowner and Hatcher may have known each other. Police say the homeowner is not facing charges pending further review by the District Attorneys office.
A man armed with a box cutter pushed his way into an Aurora home early Friday morning and attacked a male guest who was sleeping on the couch before the intruder was shot to death by the man who lived there, police said.
The alleged attacker, who has not been identified, knocked on the back door of a single-family house at 1672 Jamaica St. around 3 a.m. The man who lived in the house went to the door but was pushed aside by the intruder, police said.
After a brief scuffle, the intruder went into the living room where Frank J. Sanchez, 18, was sleeping. The intruder began attacking Sanchez, who woke up and started fighting back, Detective Shannon Lucy said.
Meanwhile, the resident went into his bedroom, pulled out a pistol and shot the intruder dead, according to police.
"We don't consider this a random burglary or robbery," Lucy said Friday afternoon. She didn't identify the resident of the house, who is not considered a suspect in a crime and was not taken into custody, she said.
Sanchez, wanted on an outstanding burglary warrant in Kansas City, Kan., was arrested.
Pellet Gun Scares Would-Be Robber, Suspect at Large
A suspect armed with a revolver ran away after a Woodland Park store clerk pulled out a pellet gun and told him to leave Thursday. He is considered armed and dangerous by police.
The robbery happened at the 99 Auto Detail on 219 South West Street in Woodland Park just before noon. Police say the suspect walked into the business showed a small revolver and demanded all the money. The owner Glenn Kothe went to the area where the money is kept and picked up a pellet gun pointed it at the suspect and told him to leave. The suspect ran from the business. Nothing was taken, no one was hurt.
The suspect is described by police as a white male, early 20's, approximately 6 foot, 175 pounds, short brown hair, GI haircut. The suspect was last seen wearing blue jeans and a long sleeve crew neck shirt which was darker than the jeans.
The students in Woodland Park Schools were not released for lunch off campus due to the active search for the suspect. The Woodland Park Police Department and the Teller County Sheriffs conducted systematic patrols of all of Woodland Park and the surrounding area but were unable to locate the suspect.
Point of contact is Detective Sergeant Tom Kinney at the Woodland Park Police Department, 719 687-9262.
Headline
A Colorado Springs resident will not be charged for fatally shooting an intruder who tried to break into a home that he apparently thought was his, prosecutors said Tuesday.
James Parsons is protected under Colorado's "Make My Day" law, which allows people to use deadly force in self-defense in their home against intruders, according a statement from the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Parsons shot 22-year-old Sean Kennedy, an assistant golf pro at a Colorado Springs golf course, on Dec. 28. Kennedy had been drinking that night and apparently thought he was breaking into his own house, which was a block away.
Police handed over the case to the district attorney's office, which determined Parsons had "reasonable belief" that he and his girlfriend were in danger.
Prosecutors said Kennedy broke a window in the back door and was reaching inside to unlock it. Two dogs inside barked persistently as the couple shouted for him to leave. The ordeal lasted more than four minutes.
"A reasonable person in those circumstances would have believed that [Kennedy] was going to do a crime against them or property," said newly elected District Attorney Dan May, who oversaw the review of the shooting.
Kennedy had been drinking at a Colorado Springs golf course, and his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for driving in Colorado when he pulled up to the Parsons' house in his pickup truck, The Gazette newspaper reported.
Friends and family members believe Kennedy thought he had arrived at his own home, which he shared with roommates.
He got out of his pickup and began shouting and beating on Parsons' door.
"[Kennedy] continued to beat and pound on the door, during which time the resident told his girlfriend to call 911, and he went into the bedroom to get his gun, a revolver," the DA's office said.
Kennedy went to the back of the house, forced open a screen door, smashed a window and was reaching to unlock the deadbolt, investigators said. Parsons then shot at him three times.
Two bullets went through Kennedy's arm and into his torso, May said.
A man who came to the home of two women whom he had threatened to decapitate with a knife received a blow to the head that could cost him an eye, according to Colorado Springs police.
Russell Bowman, who claims to be an atheist, threatened the women because they are Christian on Sept. 8. On Friday, he arrived at their apartment and stood in a hallway, according to a police report.
"Another resident of the apartment retrieved a shotgun and approached Bowman, who was by then walking away. The resident ordered Bowman to put the knife down," according to the report.
Bowman refused and approached the resident, who hit him with the butt of the shotgun, injuring his eye.
"Bowman was treated at Memorial Hospital where it was determined the injury to the eye was so severe, the eye would need to be surgically removed."
Police will likely pursue charges of felony menacing against Bowman. Police couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.
Man walking with wife shoots mountain lion near New Castle
A man shot and killed a mountain lion north of New Castle Tuesday night after the animal came too close to him and his wife, according to the Colorado Division of Wildlife.
Randy Hampton, a spokesman for the DOW, said the agency received a call about the shooting a little after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The man and his wife were out for a walk in the area when the mountain lion came out of the brush and was in a "crouch position," Hampton said. The couple's names were not immediately available late Wednesday.
"(The mountain lion) began to approach them," he said. "The husband was carrying a firearm, and he shot and killed the lion as it got really close."
The animal was about 6 feet away from the couple when the man shot it, Hampton said. He added that the couple tried to scare the mountain lion away by screaming at it, but that the animal continued to approach.
The man said he had no other choice but to shoot the animal, Hampton said.
"He handled the interaction properly," he said. "They were certainly scared from the incident."
Neither the man nor his wife were injured, and no charges are expected to be filed, Hampton said.
Would-be robber shot in Aurora
A man shot by a security guard while allegedly attempting to rob a Check into Cash store in Aurora this morning was in grave condition, according to Aurora Detective Bob Friel.
As of 3 p.m., the suspect was still alive and being treated by doctors at a local hospital, the spokesman said.
Friel said Aurora police dispatchers received an alarm from the Check Into Cash shortly after 10 a.m., and officers — who were nearby — arrived at the store within a minute.
Friel said the security guard told officers he had spotted the man in the store holding a handgun and believed there was a robbery in progress.
Friel said the suspect was shot at least once in the body by the security guard.
"We are not sure if the security guard was employed by the business or the shopping center," said Friel. "The security guard has been cooperative" and is currently being interviewed by police at police headquarters.
At the time of the incident, there was a clerk in the store. She was not injured, said the police spokesman.
The store is at 15270 E. Sixth Ave., which is at the intersection of East Sixth Avenue and Chambers Road.
Detectives were at the scene investigating the shooting. Check Into Cash outlets offer "payday advance services."
Home intruder shot in Douglas County
Investigators are questioning a Douglas County homeowner about a shooting death at his home.
Sheriff's deputies on Sunday responded to a call about an intruder at 11961 S. Highway 83 and a report that the homeowner had shot the intruder, according to a press release from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies found the body of a man inside the home and are interviewing the homeowner in an attempt to find out what happened, the sheriff's office said.
The Douglas County Coroner's Office and investigators are trying to determine the identity of the dead man.
The incident remains under investigation.
The sheriff's office did not release the name of the homeowner.
Teen Says He Didn't Hesitate To Shoot Armed Robbers
A Fountain teenager who woke up to the sounds of robbers in his home said that he didn't hesitate to shoot the men before they took off with his flat screen television.
Fountain police spokesman Sgt. Jess Freeman said the suspects are currently hospitalized for treatment of gunshot wounds.
Their names have not been released.
Cody Buckler, 19, said he was asleep at about 11 p.m. Sunday when he heard unfamiliar voices in the living room.
He told authorities he overheard someone tell a child in the house that they were a police officer, so Buckler crept down the hall and saw two men who were wearing masks, hats and gloves.
Buckler then went back to his bedroom, grabbed a 12-gauge shotgun and shot one of the men as the man carried out Buckler's flat-screen TV. He then shot the second man as the man came up the stairs toward him.
Both men escaped but were apprehended at a nearby hospital by police. They both had semiautomatic handguns, according to police.
Buckler's girlfriend, her young daughter and two other children live in the home.
Police said they don't plan to file charges against Buckler at this point because the shooting appears to be covered by Colorado's "Make My Day" law, which allows a homeowner to use deadly force if they believe lives are in danger.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Jeanne Assam appeared before the news media for the first time Monday and said she "did not think for a minute to run away" when a gunman entered the New Life Church in Colorado Springs and started shooting.There was applause as Assam spoke to a small crowd saying, "God guided me and protected me."
New Life's Senior Pastor Brady Boyd called Assam "a real hero" because the gunman, Matthew Murray, "had enough ammunition on him to cause a lot of damage."When asked by a reporter if she felt like a hero, Assam said, "I wasn't just going to wait for him to do further damage.""I give credit to God," she said.
Assam described how Murray, entered the east entrance of the church firing his rifle.Click to read more about the shootings in Colorado Springs and Arvada.
"There was chaos," Assam said. "I will never forget the gunshots. They were so loud."
"I saw him coming through the doors" and took cover, Assam said. "I came out of cover and identified myself and engaged him and took him down."
"God was with me," Assam said. "I didn't think for a minute to run away."
Assam said she believes God gave her the strength to confront Murray, keeping her calm and focused even though he appeared to be twice her size and was more heavily armed.
Murray was carrying two handguns, an assault rifle and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, said Sgt. Jeff Johnson of the Colorado Springs Police Department."It seemed like it was me, the gunman and God," she said.
Assam worked as a police officer in downtown Minneapolis during the 1990s and is licensed to carry a weapon. She attends one of the morning services and then volunteers as a guard during another service.
Boyd said Assam was the one who suggested the church beef up its security Sunday following the Arvada shooting, which it did. The pastor credited the security plan and the extra security for preventing further bloodshed.
Boyd said there are 15 to 20 security people at the church. All are volunteers but the only ones armed are those who are licensed to carry weapons.
A robbery suspect was shot and killed after trying to rob a liquor store, Spring Police said. It happened just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening at a strip mall off of Jet Wing and Fountain.
The robbery suspect was taken to Memorial Hospital, but he was pronounced dead just minutes later. While the investigation is still on-going, Springs Police said the owner of the liquor store, in his 70’s, shot the suspect in the chest.
This is the 3rd robbery to happen in the Springs in the past 24 hours. In fact, robberies are on the rise in November.
"During the course of this year, we average 25-30 robberies a month, but now, that's how much we've had in the past 2 weeks," said Detective Don Chagnon with Springs Police. In November there have been close to having 60 robberies. Detective Chagnon said he doesn’t know why robberies are increasing.
Police: Broomfield Intruder Shot After Door Kicked In
Police are investigating an early-morning shooting involving a man armed with a pool cue and a renter trying to get some sleep.
According to police, the renter was sleeping at about 2:30 a.m. when the female owner of the house showed up with a friend and didn't have her keys. She woke the renter to be let in.
Police said the renter asked the woman's friend to leave around 4 a.m. because they were being loud and he was trying to sleep. The man left, but returned a few minutes later, and police said he was carrying a pool cue.
The renter told police the man with the pool cue kicked in the door and threatened him with the pool cue. That's when the renter shot the man. He was rushed to a local hospital for surgery after suffering a gunshot wound to the stomach, police said.
No names have been released and the investigation is continuing.
Questions in cougar shootingFrom the TheDenverChannel.com of October 11, 2007
Jeremy Kocar killed mountain lion that attacked a puppy chained on the property
Only stars and the glimmer from a 140-pound mountain lion's fierce gaze provided light in the midnight darkness of Boulder County's foothills for Jeremy Kocar to cock and aim his rifle.
Still, Kocar said his eyes adjusted "quick enough" when the cougar looked up from the puppy in its clutches.
"I took the shot, and that was the end of it," said Kocar, 31, who now finds himself facing possible criminal charges for shooting the adult male lion.
It's been three days since Kocar said he saved his family's Rottweiler-Labrador mix, Duke — and possibly his own life — by shooting the lion that attacked the 8-month-old puppy. But, Kocar said, it will be much longer before he's able to get over the moment he stared down the cat as it crouched in a "pouncing" position.
"That's one thing you don't ever want," Kocar said Monday while standing outside the trailer that he, his wife and their two children are living in near Nederland. "You don't want to come face-to-face with a lion."
Jeremy Kocar, a Wisconsin man temporarily living near Nederland, sits with 8-month-old Duke, who was mauled by a mountain lion near Kocar's trailer early Friday. Kocar shot and killed the cougar, and now may face criminal charges.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife confiscated the cougar that Kocar killed at approximately 1:30 a.m. Friday in a clearing east of Gross Reservoir. Wildlife officers are reviewing the shooting, and DOW spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill said her agency is "investigating what will happen to the person who shot the lion."
"We do have laws that allow people to protect their safety and their livestock," Churchill said. "But this is the tricky gray area of it being a dog."According to Colorado law, it's legal "to trap, kill or otherwise dispose of bears, mountain lions or dogs in situations when it is necessary to prevent them from inflicting death or injury to livestock or human life."
That's exactly what Kocar said he was doing when the lion tucked Duke under his belly, as if "it was protecting its kill," and turned its attention to Kocar.
"I'm from Wisconsin — and we take care of things there," Kocar said.
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Dog Owner Won't Be Charged For Shooting Mountain Lion
A Wisconsin man who shot and killed a mountain lion that was attacking his dog will not be charged, the Division of Wildlife announced Thursday.
Officials determined that Jeremy Kocar was acting in self-defense when he shot the mountain lion just outside his temporary home, near Gross Reservoir, earlier this week.
Kocar could have been charged with an illegal take, and could have faced a fine of $1,400. State law allows people to shoot a mountain lion if their personal safety or livestock are threatened -- but officials said they didn't know if that would extend to dogs.
Kocar and his wife, Angela, said that they heard a growl in the middle of the night and went outside to check out what happened and came face to face with the mountain lion.
"It was standing right there under the tree branch with my dog in its mouth," said Angela Kocar.
Jeremy tried to scare the mountain lion away but it didn't budge so he ran inside, grabbed his rifle and that's when the mountain lion approached him, he said.
Wildlife advocates were upset that Kocar shot the mountain lion.
The DOW said that pet owners who are going to live in lion country need to be a responsible and put their pets away, or inside at night.
Jeremy and his wife said they will never leave their dogs outside alone again.
Marble man shoots mother bear and cub
A man shot and killed a mother black bear and then one of her cubs as each one separately tried to break into his Marble-area cabin over the course of last weekend, according to state wildlife officials.
“The sow was tearing apart the floor of the (elevated) cabin and coming in from underneath” while the man, an employee of OutWest Guides, was home early Saturday morning, according to Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton. Hampton said no obvious food or garbage attractants were around the cabin to entice the bear.
The DOW managed to catch two of the dead sow’s three cubs and take them to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Silt, Hampton said, but the biggest cub remained at large and returned to the man’s cabin late Sunday night, where it allegedly tried to break in.
“The individual was afraid and shot the cub,” Hampton said.
The cub weighed about 50 or 60 pounds and was strong enough to break into the house despite its small size, Hampton said. “Think of it this way: Imagine if you had a 60-pound dog coming in the window growling.”
It’s illegal to shoot black bears out of season or without a hunting license, but a state statute allows people to shoot bears in self defense.
“We have determined that the individual in their house feared for their safety,” Hampton said. “They were within their legal rights to protect themselves. If additional facts come to light, that could change things. But for the present time, our investigation is done,”
Because the DOW did not issue the man a citation, his name will not be released.
It is possible that the DOW would have had to kill the mother bear anyway because of her unusually aggressive behavior, Hampton said. Bears that break through walls, floors or locked doors or windows must be put down under state law.
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