Colorado Springs birthday party shooting at Canterbury Mobile Home Park leaves 7 dead including gunman & his girlfriend after suspect arrived at trailer park and began shooting at victims, sparing children. No known motive.
A Colorado Springs birthday party turned into a bloodbath after a man fatally shot six attendees, including his girlfriend before killing himself early on Sunday, sparing the children who were present.
Officers arrived at a trailer park just after midnight to find six dead adults and a man with serious injuries who died later at a hospital.
‘The suspect, a boyfriend of one of the female victims, drove to the residence, walked inside and began shooting people at the party before taking his own life,’ read a statement released by the Colorado Springs Police Department.
The mass shooting occurred at a gathering at the Canterbury Mobile Home Park about 70 miles south of Denver. The gathering included ‘friends, family and children,’ who had attended a birthday party according to a statement.
Police on Sunday hadn’t identified the shooter or victims. Children at the shooting were placed with relatives. The neighborhood, lined with mobile homes with big yards, is usually quiet, the Denver Post reported.
Waking up to the sound of many gunshots
Neighbor, Yenifer Reyes told the Denver Post that she awoke early Sunday to the sound of many gunshots.
‘I thought it was a thunderstorm,’ she said. ‘Then I started hearing sirens.’
‘Words fall short to describe the tragedy that took place this morning,’ Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski said according to KKTV-TV.
‘This is something you hope never happens in your own community, in the place that you call home,’ he said.
‘When these types of unspeakable acts happen, there is nothing that can be done to fully rebuild what was lost or replace those who are no longer with us.’
The Police Chief vowed that the department would do everything it can to ‘find you the answers you deserve and be here for you with unwavering support.’
Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said: ‘Today we find ourselves mourning the loss of lives and praying solemnly for those who were injured and those who lost family members in a senseless act of violence on Sunday morning.
192nd mass shooting of 2021 in the U.S – 129 days into 2021.
‘We think too of the emergency personnel who responded to a horrific scene and we keep them in our prayers today.
‘We ask the public’s patience with the investigation and we seek the sensitivity of our media partners as CSPD completes a thorough investigation to provide answers to the families and friends impacted by this tragedy.’
The El Paso County Coroner’s Office will release the identifications of the victims and their official causes of death.
The weekend bloodbath was Colorado’s worst mass shooting since a gunman killed 10 people at a Boulder supermarket March 22. Colorado Springs, population 465,000, is Colorado’s second-biggest city after Denver.
Sunday morning’s mass shooting marked the 192nd mass shooting of 2021 in the U.S – 129 days into 2021.
No known motive for the slayings was immediately known as authorities continue to investigate.
