'Most Reckless Thing': Samuel Young Charged In Protest Shooting
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Somehow a Jeep got though roadblocks and onto Interstate 225 in Aurora on Saturday. Straight ahead were hundreds of protesters blocking the highway.
Police now say 23-year-old Samuel Young of Wheat Ridge is the man who pulled out a gun and fired at the Jeep.
Aurora's Deputy Chief Harry Glidden put it this way, "It was the most reckless thing I have seen in a long time."
Two protesters were injured during the shooting; one in the leg, the other near the temple. Police posted pictures of the suspect and the public responded.
One woman told CBS4, "I just saw a post on Instagram, and it had the article with a picture of someone with a CU (University of Colorado) shirt, and it said justice for Elijah McClain, and I recognized him from freshman year."
She says Young worked in a residence hall at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
"I am very very supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement so it was really upsetting," the woman said.
CBS4 spotted Young in the crowd with protesters openly carrying a weapon. A witness told police it was an, "Old school wild west gun." The witness added the person who fired then "entered a state of shock" and appeared he "was horrified at what he did."
Some protesters claim he was saving lives with his actions. Police disagree.
"It's the height of somebody doesn't know how to handle a firearm. It's not the place to pull a gun and randomly shoot it," said Glidden.
CBS4 learned the driver of the Jeep hired an attorney. The lawyer told CBS4's Rick Sallinger his client has been labeled with a lot of negative things as a result of the incident including "white supremacist and terrorist" which he said "couldn't be further from the truth."
The vehicle didn't make contact with anyone.
Young is tentatively charged with four counts of attempted murder.
Police continue to investigate.