On October 31, 2015, a shooting occurred near downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.[1] The shooting began around 8:45 a.m., though a 911 call was placed 10 minutes earlier[2] on the morning of Saturday, October 31, which was Halloween.[1] Three people were randomly shot and killed[3] by a gunman, later identified as 33-year-old Noah Harpham, as they were walking down Prospect Street[4] near downtown Colorado Springs.[1] A man riding a bicycle was the first victim shot[5] after pleading for his life, according to eyewitness reports.[6] The gunman then turned and ran, killing two women. These women were either killed randomly as the gunman ran down the street, firing at random[6] or sitting on a porch targeted by the gunman.[7] The gunman was later killed in a shootout with four police officers in which he was struck once.[8][1][9] In total, there were three crime scenes. This was the first of two shootings in Colorado Springs in less than a month; the second was the Planned Parenthood mass shooting, 28 days later.
Perpetrator
33-year old Noah Harpham[7] used a DPMS Classic 16, an AR-15 stylesemi-automatic rifle, to kill victims.[10] Harpham was also armed with a Ruger SP101.357 Magnum revolver and a Springfield Armory XD-M9mm pistol,[7][11] although it does not appear that either pistol was used in any of the shootings. All three guns were legally purchased in 2009.[12] No motive was found for the shooting, and no apparent warning signs existed, despite a video and blog posted days earlier in which Harpham complained about his parents and family life.[7][12]
Victims
Andrew Alan Myers, 35, was the first person killed by Harpham.[13] He was the bicyclist who crossed Harpham's path. Christy Galella, 34, and Jennifer Vasquez, 42, were residents of the Platte House, a shelter for women recovering from drug and/or alcohol addiction.[13] One of the women died in the house's doorway while the other was killed on the house's porch.[13] None of the victims appeared to have connections to Harpham.[13]
Criticism of police response
A 911 call was placed ten minutes before Harpham began shooting, as a neighbor reported Harpham walking around carrying a rifle and gas cans.[14] Colorado is an open carry state, so the 911 operator dispatched only one officer who was later called off to respond to a disturbance that "threatened human life" at a senior home.[14][15] No other officers were available to respond so the operator terminated the call.[15] Four minutes later, the same caller called back to report Myers' death.[15] There was nationwide outrage that the 911 operator did not do enough to prevent the shooting, but the department insisted the operator followed protocol.[15][16] Many, including Colorado activist group Colorado Ceasefire, called on the city to ban open carry, though the mayor insisted they would not.[14]
