Suspect in death of Colorado police agent had lengthy criminal history
As the community mourns a Lakewood police agent killed in the line of duty, CBS Colorado is learning more about the suspect accused of killing him and his lengthy criminal history.
All day Friday, an outpouring of love from the grieving community grew as tributes piled up outside the Lakewood Police Department for fallen officer Nick Graham.
CBS Colorado dug into the background of the man who police say killed him, Gabriel Garcia. Garcia was on parole when authorities say he shot four police officers Thursday, injured a bystander, and was killed by police.
Garcia has a criminal history going back 20 years, including charges of assault, car theft, felony menacing and more.
It turns out Garcia attacked a police officer years before the shooting on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to assault on a peace officer causing serious bodily injury for a 2017 attack on an Adams County deputy, who was saved by his K-9.
Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison for that in 2019. The details of his parole in that case are not yet clear, but Garcia was out by April 2023, when he was charged with violating that parole.
Most recently, Garcia pleaded guilty to felony trespass of an inhabited dwelling, stemming from an incident in Adams County in 2025.
Despite being sentenced to one year in prison in April of this year, Garcia was let out on mandatory parole in September.
The Department of Corrections tells CBS Colorado this is because of credit for time served, plus more credit earned behind bars. The DOC says that's an opportunity it must provide under the law.
A Colorado Department of Corrections spokesperson shared this statement:
"The Colorado Department of Corrections extends our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the Lakewood Police Agent who tragically lost their life in the line of duty. Our thoughts are also with the injured officers, their families, and everyone impacted by this devastating incident.
We can confirm that Gabriel Garcia was released to mandatory parole supervision on September 23, 2026, and was under the supervision of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Division of Adult Parole, at the time of the incident.
Garcia was sentenced on April 22, 2026, in Adams County Case No. 25CR2887 for First-Degree Criminal Trespass of an Inhabited Dwelling. He received a one-year sentence in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections, followed by one year of mandatory parole, with 149 days of credit for presentence confinement.
Under Colorado law, earned time credits are awarded based on statutory requirements and department policy. Garcia's mandatory release date reflected the earned time credits applied to his sentence.
We take this matter extremely seriously and are conducting a thorough internal review of Garcia's supervision. We are also working closely with our law enforcement partners as the investigation continues.
We recognize the seriousness of this tragedy and the importance of transparency and accountability."
Lakewood Police Department is directing people who want to help Graham's family and the other wounded agents to the Lakewood Police Employee Assistance Foundation.
Donations made through the foundation directly support Graham's family and the other three wounded agents, according to the information provided by the department.
