UPDATE (11/03/15):
The identity of the gunman and the victims have been released, as well as a vital piece of information that could've changed the course of this tragic story.
New information reveals the shooting could have been prevented had a 911 dispatcher taken a woman’s report of an armed man with a gun seriously instead of giving her a lesson on the state’s open carry law, which allows people to carry guns out in the open.
According to the Denver Post, early on Saturday morning Naomi Bettis called 911 after seeing her neighbor, whose name she did not know, walking with an AR-15 rifle outside of his house. Bettis said he looked “distraught” and like “ he had a rough couple days or so.” It was then the dispatcher refused to send police and told Bettis about Colorado’s open carry law. Police arrived minutes after the call but by then 33-year-old gunman, Noah Harphan, had fatally shot three: 35-year-old Andrew Alan Myers, 42-year-old Jennifer Michelle Vasquez and 34-year-old Christina Rose Baccus-Gallela.
Neighbor Matthew Abshire noted the shooting looked “random” and that the gunman was relaxed about it. “He walked calmly and collectedly,” Abshire said. “His demeanor was like he was having a stroll in the park.”
See original story below.
A mass shooting this morning left four people dead, including the gunman, in Colorado Springs, Colo. According to the Denver Post, officers received a report that shots had been fired around 8:45 a.m. When they arrived on the scene, the suspect fired multiple shots at them, and police returned fire. At around 2:30 p.m. the gunman was pronounced dead, along with three victims.
The officers involved in the shootout were placed on administrative leave according to protocol, and there's an ongoing investigation into the cause of the shooting. One witness said the gunman was running from police carrying a rifle when he was shot. Officers don't believe there's any further danger to the community, but streets where the shootings took place are still closed. The victims' names have yet to be released.
