One person was shot to death outside the El Paso County Courthouse, in downtown Colorado Springs, on Thursday morning in an attack that forced authorities to evacuate the building and close the courts.
Police arrested one suspect in connection with the shooting, which happened at 10:03 a.m. outside the downtown courthouse, at 270 S. Tejon St.
Police spokesman Ira Cronin described the slaying as an isolated incident and said there was no ongoing threat to the community during a morning news conference. The attack was not an “active shooter situation,” he said.
The suspect and victim had a previous relationship, police said in a post on X on Thursday night, but the context of that relationship is under investigation.
The suspect was detained immediately by courthouse workers without incident, and everyone associated with the shooting has been accounted for, according to police.
Police have not released details about how the shooting unfolded or the identity of the person arrested in connection with the killing.
No one else was shot during the incident, although Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesperson Ashley Franco said fire crews treated two people for minor injuries. She declined to give specific information on the injuries.
The county coroner’s office will identify the person killed. All employees of the state Judicial Department, the state public defender’s office and the 4th Judicial District were accounted for and unharmed after the shooting, spokespeople for each agency said.
The attack created mass confusion across the courthouse starting about 10:15 a.m., when at least one judge asked everyone to come into her courtroom for safety, a review of live-streamed proceedings showed.
About 10:30 a.m., two judges told people in their courtrooms that court proceedings were canceled for the rest of the day and asked attendees to evacuate. Some judges, however, kept hearing cases while the evacuation was underway. Sheriff’s deputies could be seen on the live-streams escorting people from the building.
The courthouse closed for the rest of the day after the attack, Colorado Judicial Branch spokesman Rob McCallum said. All staff members and judges were sent home, and court hearings set for Thursday afternoon were rescheduled.
The courthouse will reopen at 7:30 a.m. Friday, and hearings will take place Friday as scheduled, according to a post by the Colorado Judicial Branch on X.
