On Friday, February 16, 2024, the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS) was rocked by a shooting that left two people dead.
At about 5:59 a.m., the Colorado Springs Police Department was alerted to gunfire at the Crestone House dormitories.
Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered an adult male and an adult female with fatal gunshot wounds. The El Paso County Coroner’s Office later identified the victims as 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery from Pueblo, Colorado, and 24-year-old Samuel Knopp from Parker, Colorado. Knopp was a registered student at UCCS, and Montgomery was not.
Contrary to initial speculation, the incident is not being treated as a murder-suicide but rather as a double homicide. Police have apprehended 25-year-old Nicholas Jordan from Detroit, who is suspected of being the gunman. Jordan, a UCCS student, was arrested on Monday morning after being spotted in a car by police and stopped, according to the authorities.
“The investigation to date suggests that the incident was a targeted event involving individuals who knew each other, rather than a broader threat to the campus community or its students,” according to a statement from the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD).
The university implemented lockdown and shelter-in-place orders to ensure campus safety, which were lifted later that day. University administration announced the cancellation of classes through Monday.
”I was truly taken aback. I received an email from a professor early in the morning informing me about the lockdown and advising me to secure my doors. Stepping outside to see the swarm of police vehicles and media crews really left me astonished,” Adam Trujillo, a student, expressed.
Governor Jared Polis has pledged state support and close monitoring of the situation in collaboration with university and public safety officials. The university has also made counseling services available to students and staff.
Normal university operations resumed on Monday, and classes will pick up on Tuesday after Presidents’ Day.
In response to the tragedy, a healing walk was held at 2 p.m. on Monday, February 19th, which started from the Roaring Fork Dining Hall. During this event, UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet, Student Body President Axel Brown, and UCCS Chief of Police Dewayne McCarver delivered short remarks.
Chancellor Sobanet expressed a profound sense of loss and sorrow, reflecting on the event’s deep emotional toll on the college community.
This incident marks an alarming addition to Colorado Springs’ homicide statistics, doubling the count from the previous year. The police have issued a call to the public for any information that may assist in their ongoing investigation, encouraging witnesses or those with knowledge of the incident to come forward.
