Colorado Springs police: 1 suspect in custody after deadly shooting at El Paso County Courthouse
One person was killed and one suspect was taken into custody following a shooting at the El Paso County Courthouse on Thursday morning. Investigators have determined that the shooter and the victim knew each other but haven't released the context of that relationship.
Police received an emergency call just after 10 a.m. and responded to the courthouse, which is located at 270 South Tejon St. in the downtown area. When officers arrived, they found one person outside the building deceased with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. It's not clear how soon after that a suspect was arrested.
Investigators said the coroner will determine the cause of death. The identity of the deceased has not been released.
"We ruled out an active shooter situation and determined there was no ongoing threat to the community," said Ira Cronin, public relations manager for the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Police are investigating the death as a homicide and said that it "appears to be an isolated incident."
A witness at the scene told CBS affiliate KKTV 11News that she was inside the courthouse when the shooting happened and that she was stuck on the third floor with others for about 30 minutes.
She said that she heard the shooting was related to a domestic disturbance between a husband and wife.
Another witness said that a suspect was in custody in the back of a police vehicle.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office tweeted that operations at the courthouse were closed for the day as a result of the shooting. Everyone inside the courthouse was escorted out of the building's south entrance in order to protect the scene for investigators. Police said the area will remain cordoned off until early afternoon and then people can return to retrieve their vehicles blocked off by crime scene tape.
Police are investigating the scene outside the courthouse and El Paso County Sheriff's Office investigators are gathering evidence inside the courthouse.
Pending court cases scheduled for Thursday will be rescheduled.
