Garfield County Sheriff’s Office investigators have found no motive for why the man found dead Oct. 28 at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park had taken an “arsenal” of guns, ammunition and bombs to the park or what he planned to do there.
Investigators also did not find a reason Diego Barajas-Medina, 20, of Carbondale, changed his mind and killed himself instead of following through on whatever he had planned, according to a Thursday news release from the sheriff’s office.
A note Barajas-Medina wrote on a wall in the bathroom where he killed himself said, “I’m not a killer, I just wanted to get in the cave.”
Maintenance crews found Barajas-Medina early in the morning Oct. 28 before the park opened. He was dressed in body armor, a helmet and black tactical clothing with patches and emblems that “gave the appearance of being associated with law enforcement,” the news release stated.
He had a semi-automatic rifle and a semi-automatic handgun with multiple loaded magazines and several hundred rounds of ammunition. He also had multiple explosive devices on or near him, and a vehicle he apparently drove to the park also had several explosives in it.
“Given (the) amount of weaponry, ammunition, and explosive devices found, Diego could have implemented an attack of devastating proportions on our community resulting in multiple injuries and possibly death to members of the public as well as first responders,” officials said in the news release. “As a community, we are fortunate and thankful that this did not happen.”
The Grand Junction Bomb Squad and the Garfield County All Hazards Response Team made a sweep of the entire adventure park to make sure that no other explosive devices were present. The park was closed for two days to complete this sweep, according to the news release.
Barajas-Medina’s friends, family and Roaring Fork High School officials where he graduated in 2021 described him to investigators as “a bit of a loner,” according to the news release, and he had no prior law enforcement engagements.
“There was no reason to believe that he was a threat to others,” officials said in the news release. “There was nothing to indicate that he worked in concert with any other individual or group or that he was a part of an extremist group nor did he operate at the behest of any drug cartel or terrorist group.”
Investigators searched Barajas-Medina’s home and electronic devices, which revealed he visited several sites discussing other mass shootings, according to the news release.
“However, the investigation was unable to uncover any motive for Diego amassing such a lethal arsenal nor did it explain what happened to change his mind and why he did not follow through with whatever he was planning,” officials said.
Toxicology reports showed no alcohol or illegal drugs in his system.
All the weapons, ammunition and tactical equipment Barajas-Medina had with him were legally purchased from online stores.
The two guns he had were “ghost guns,” meaning they were unserialized, untraceable guns anyone could buy and build themselves without a background check.
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