US: Man breaks into Colorado Supreme Court and opens fire; arrested
Jan 02, 2024
Colorado [US], January 2 : A man was held on wee hours of Tuesday after he broke into the Colorado Supreme Court overnight and opened fire inside the building, CNN reported citing a state police news release.
The primary investigation "confirmed a high probability" that the incident is not related to "recent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court Justices," the Colorado State Patrol said.
The break-in occurred at the Ralph L Carr Colorado Judicial Center, home to the state supreme court, just two weeks after a controversial 4-3 ruling to remove former President Donald Trump from Colorado's 2024 ballot. The court cited the 14th Amendment's "insurrectionist ban" as the grounds for Trump's ineligibility for office, as reported by CNN.
Law enforcement, including the FBI and Colorado police, had been investigating violent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court justices following their decision. The recent break-in, however, does not seem directly related to these threats.
The incident unfolded at around 1:15 am (local times) and lasted nearly two hours, with the intruder surrendering to police at 3 am. There were no injuries reported, but the judicial center sustained "significant and extensive damage."
The break-in followed a two-vehicle crash near the judicial center, during which one person involved reportedly pointed a handgun at the other driver. This individual then shot out a window on the east side of the judicial center, gaining entry. Inside, the intruder confronted an unarmed security guard, took the guard's keys at gunpoint, and proceeded to other parts of the building, firing shots on the seventh floor.
The suspect, who called 911 before surrendering, now faces unspecified charges. Authorities believe the incident is not directly linked to the prior threats against the justices, although the names of the four judges involved in disqualifying Trump have surfaced in "incendiary" posts on extremist online forums.
While no specific threats against the judges were found in an analysis, however, the report warned of the potential for lone actor or small group violence in response to the court's ruling, CNN reported.
