DENVER – A gunman was taken into custody at the Colorado Supreme Court building after reportedly shooting out windows, holding a security guard at gunpoint and maneuvering about the facility for nearly two hours until finally surrendering early Tuesday, according to law enforcement authorities.
The sequence of crimes began about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday when a two-vehicle collision occurred at 13th Street and Lincoln in Denver. One individual involved in the crash reportedly pointed a handgun at the other driver, according to the law enforcement authorities, reported FOX News Digital.
“A short time later, that same individual shot out a window on the east side of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center located at 2 East 14th Ave, Denver, CO 80203,” the Colorado State Patrol said in a press release. “The individual entered the building and came in contact with an unarmed security guard from the Colorado State Patrol Capitol Security Unit.”
“The individual held the security guard at gunpoint and demanded access to other parts of the building,” Colorado State Patrol said. “The individual obtained keys from the security guard and proceeded into other parts of the building and accessed an unknown number of floors. Denver Police Department (DPD) officers, as well as Colorado State Patrol Troopers, responded to the scene and set up a perimeter. The suspect then made his way to the 7th floor, where he fired additional shots inside the building.”
At approximately 3 a.m., the suspect called 911 and voluntarily surrendered to police, state patrol said.
“He was placed in custody without further incident. There are no injuries to building occupants, the suspect, or police personnel,” according to the release. “The suspect was taken to a local hospital to be cleared by medical personnel. There is significant and extensive damage to the building and the investigation is ongoing.”
The dramatic crime comes soon after the state’s high court issued a highly controversial ruling that former President Donald Trump should be removed from the 2024 GOP primary ballot, FOX reported.
However, the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement that preliminary investigations “confirmed a high probability the incident… is NOT associated to the recent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court Justices.”
“The CSP and DPD are treating this incident seriously, but at this time, it is believed that this is not associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices,” state patrol added.
The suspect’s identity has not yet been released. It is unclear what charges he might face.
