Murderer On The Loose In Colorado Springs

Status
Not open for further replies.

Trunk Monkey

member
Joined
Dec 25, 2011
Messages
4,120
Location
Colorado
On Saturday morning (Feb 23) a guy who is on parole for a burglary committed in 2013 shot and killed somebody in the parking lot of an apartment complex in South Colorado Springs.

About an hour later the same guy showed up walking down a street (South Wasatch if you happen to be familiar with Colorado Springs) randomly shooting at passers-by just like the scene from the movie Tombstone. He shot a driver in the head and killed him and then stole a car (The news report isn't clear on whether or not he stole the car from the person he shot or somebody else).

Then he drove to the other side of town (Murray and Airport) where he murdered somebody else and stole their car.

This evening the local news is reporting that he's posting on Facebook that he will not be taken alive.

I hope I'm wrong but I don't think he's done I think he's going to have a run-in with somebody else before the police get him.

So here is a person who's already killed three people. Who has demonstrated that he will shoot people randomly without warning or provocation.

Needless to say the entire city is on edge.

What do you do if you run into somebody like that?

Let's assume in my hypothetical he shows up outside the fence where I work. Since it's my hypothetical I have correctly identified to him and it is the right guy.

Now if I had even a suspicion that the random person outside my gate was him my first reaction would be to try to get as far away from him as I could and call the police.

I certainly would never try to apprehend him and I'm not sure exactly how to say this but I would do everything I could not to give him any reason to suspect that I knew who he was.

Having said all that and remembering that this is my hypothetical and I have correctly identified him, if I ran into this guy and he made the slightest threatening move I think I'd probably draw and get ready to defend myself.

How else would you deal with somebody like that?


I want to be clear I'm not trying to make this a "What would you do?" discussion. I'm trying to ask how would you handle this real situation that really could happen. I mean like I just said I don't think the guy's done he's going to run into somebody before the police catch him. What can that person do to protect themselves?
 
Last edited:
You had better have a MUCH better story to tell the grand jury than he looked like the guy on TV so I shot him!

But what if he was the guy on TV? Somebody's going to run into this guy the odds of it being me or something like 300,000 to 1 but somebody's going to run into this guy. What do they do?
 
Last edited:
Look at this way, he is a known threat, there are other individuals that are unknown threats.
There is no defense from being ambushed or sniped, so the best defense is still situational awareness, being prepared to act, and acting appropriarely.
In other words mindset, skill set, tool set.
Easier said than done.
Good luck and Stay safe.
 
Look at this way, he is a known threat, there are other individuals that are unknown threats.
There is no defense from being ambushed or sniped, so the best defense is still situational awareness, being prepared to act, and acting appropriarely.
In other words mindset, skill set, tool set.
Easier said than done.
Good luck and Stay safe.

And I was just thinking along the same lines. This guy was in Colorado Springs on Friday morning too. He just hadn't done anything overt at that point
 
Since the courts will not believe that you correctly identified him I say you can not just take him out at first sight.

Like you said, get away first.

If I was somehow stuck and could not get away, and it looked like said bad guy, I would clear cover garment and have an established grip on my gun. Then literally be ready to get off the X and draw/shoot all at once. It would be ugly but he would still have to make the first move before my gun came out.

All would be different if I witnessed him murder somebody innocent as he approaches, not just hear about it on the news.
 
I maybe wrong but I always thought if you suspected a fugitive you were supposed to call the local authorities, other than that and “be prepared” you can’t do much unless he takes other action, at which point what you do depends on the new circumstances.

I’m reminded of a time when I was just a we little boy, maybe 8-10ish, a couple convicted bad guys had broken out of a prison the next state over and were suspected to be headed our way. My grandfather, in his wisdom and to my confusion, filled his car up with gas, left the keys in the ignition and left the car in the driveway rather than in the garage like normal.

I asked him why he was doing all that when the bad guys were on the loose, he told me “if the bad guys come by here I don’t want them to have to come in the house for the keys and I want to get as far away as possible, as fast as possible.
 
I would be looking for and trying to find some directions from authorities on what they want people to do if you see him. That is a terrible situation.
 
Pretty sure they would tell you to contact the police and not to put yourself in harms way.

As far as not becoming a victim, I’ll +1 about being aware. The saying “like a deer in the headlights” wouldn’t be a saying if they paid attention in actively avoiding contact with vehicles.
 
This situation depends on where you are & what is actually happening between you and the suspected bad guy.
If the bad guy became a threat to you there's no other alternative but to take lethal action. However if you saw him walking down the street you better restrain yourself from taking action other than calling police. If you shoot him w/o provocation I predict some really hard times are coming your way regardless of who he really was. Obviously if you are wrong &shoot an innocent person it will be much worse.
This situation becomes a lot more difficult if you run into this guy way out in the boondocks. When I was hiking or camping if I saw or heard anyone coming my way I would immediately be on alert & ready to defend myself & whenever possible my reaction was to discreetly hide until I was 100% sure I knew what they were up to. Even if I determined they were not a threat to me if possible I would let them pass never knowing I was just a few feet away. However if I knew for sure that the person I was watching was Jack the Ripper (ie a real bad guy) I'm not too sure I would let him get by so easily.
Tough call.
 
This to me touches on something that I think needs to be driven home- two posters above have already mentioned it- Your hypothetical is what if I KNOW this guy is the murderer?
To me the real answer is treat him as you would anyone else you don’t personally know. I am NOT saying treat everyone as a murderer, what I AM saying is he was a murderer to the first guy he killed, (Before his picture was plastered everywhere)
Remember just bc someone is not a convicted felon does not mean they aren’t a criminal just that they haven’t been caught yet- by the same token there are LOTS of good ppl in this world so the majority won’t hurt you - but if you are serious about your own safety- be polite but trust no one until you know them- and even then If something seems off be ready - my father taught me always to watch someone’s hands it’s good advice
 
  1. Remember that you're not the police. Call them and let them handle it.
  2. As with any SD scenario, if you use your gun you had better be able to articulate why you were under an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm. IMO running across this person without them posing that threat to you is not grounds for using deadly force.
 
People that know this guy
That was how I took it. I have had friends and family get into trouble. Maybe I am not as good a friend as they would like, but I don't automatically jump to their defense, I also have to consider what defending them will do to MY reputation, as well as what it could do to hinder them from improving themselves.
 
Heck, I just left Colorado Spring Saturday morning for the next hop of my two week business trip. I am staying in Dayton this week. I guess I left just in time.
 
To answer the original question... situational awareness. You figured the guy out, hopefully without being seen. If you have been seen then you get to cover in the best way you can and you draw your weapon and be ready in case he makes any aggressive moves. He is not harming you or your family, so he is no different than the lunatic down the street until he makes a threatening move. If he makes a threatening move, drop him expediently. If not, stay vigilant, retreat to better cover and report whereabouts to police. Stay alert, you know hes close, stay ready. Retrieve better defensive arms if feasible. And turn the dog out into the yard.

stay on the phone with law enforcement. You do NOT want to be holding a firearm when they show up looking for a known killer.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
In your hypothetical, you make positive visual identification. One option is to maintain visual contact, hopefully avoid being seen, call the police and arm yourself with a firearm for self defense. The other option is to call the police and leave the area. What you don't want, in my opinion, is to lose visual contact and remain in the area. Like Doc said, there's no defense against an ambush or being sniped.

This situation almost sounds like a battlefield. Maybe survival tips from our combat veterans would be more helpful.
 
Police announced Sunday that they were looking for Kyree Davon Howard-Walker, 27, in connection with two fatal shootings, one injury shooting, and two carjackings, as well as allegedly shooting at passing cars in downtown Colorado Springs. Two days later, they confirmed he was found dead inside a home in Stratton Meadows,apparently shooting himself at some point after he was cornered by police and SWAT.

https://www.kktv.com/content/news/P...prings-shooting-and-carjacking-568113401.html

and one way to not be a victim,

Another driver said she came inches away from being a fourth shooting victim.

"He jumps into the road so I swerved to go around him and just as my window is passing him, he pulls out a gun and shoots at me. And it was close enough that I could feel the heat on my face, and as I saw the gun coming out, I was like, 'No, this is not happening,' and I floored it and got out of dodge as fast as I possibly could," said Heather Westbrook. "... I was a split second away from not being able to come home from my dog and I just felt so lucky and so happy that I didn’t freeze in the moment and that I was able to immediately take action and get myself safe."

This guy is really lucky.

Mike Stokes, whose business Apex Sports is just a couple of blocks over from where that second carjacking happened, told 11 News the suspect may have originally been going after his car, but Stokes caught him in the act.

"I walked out of our building to go over into our set-up building and I saw a couple that were inside my car rooting through it. I confronted them and said, ‘What are you doing in my car?’ and he backs up ... I said, ‘Get out of my car,’ and he pulled a gun out and stuck it a foot away from my head. He said, ‘Get away from me [explicit] [explicit].’"

Stokes said the suspect demanded his keys and threatened him at gunpoint for a second time when Stokes said no. But he ultimately left Stokes alone when Stokes pulled out his phone and said he was going to call police.

"They both ran over to Wahsatch street after. Then I started hearing 'pop, pop, pop' and that’s where they had hit a vehicle in the windshield and shot a guy ... we heard more gunshots and I guess they carjacked a [vehicle]."

When asked what he was thinking as he heard the barrage of gunfire:

"The guy was serious about I could've been dead."

Another series of preventable murders but not the way the antigun people want.

Howard-Walker was on parole at the time of the crime spree, having been released from prison just a few months ago.

Who would have thought....
 
Last edited:
What to do... seeing someone wanted for really bad stuff... Call it in, period... If you're able to maintain a safe distance from him (or her) try to keep tabs to be able to point authorities in the right direction. In this age with cell phones you can bet the dispatcher (or whoever you're in contact with) will try to keep you on the phone for additional info...

A sudden attack is another matter entirely.... Your first response, if you're able, is to clear the area - right now! Getting out of range if you're in a vehicle is your best bet if you're able... even if you have to play bumper cars to be able to clear the threat. If on foot... RUN... If you're not able to clear the area then your next move is to go to cover NOW. Cover is something that will stop incoming rounds... and if your cover no longer protects you retreat to a better position and do that over and over if you have to until you're not longer at risk... While going to cover remember that you must know where your attacker is at all times if you can... If you stay behind cover and don't know where your attacker is then it's pretty easy for them to get around you and come at you where you're not behind cover at all... Even if you're caught out in the open you can still hit the dirt and do your best to make yourself a very small target... All of these defensive moves apply to all of us, armed or not... No matter how many movies you've seen where the hero stands his or her ground and trades shots with an attacker.... you're much better off going to cover first before fighting back if armed... What we used to preach to our young officers is this... "John Wayne is dead - and you'll be joining him if you're standing out in the open if someone is shooting at you"...

Yes, if you're at close quarters with an armed individual intent on killing you then you may have no other option than to stand and deliver - one way or the other - but fight or die ends up all too frequently in death or terrible injury to the good guy in the situation...

Now for something that most don't consider... If you're behind the wheel of a car and someone is shooting at you - your car is a deadly weapon all by itself. My first response if someone is shooting at me and I'm driving is to leave the area - but if they're right in front of me (or directly behind me) they're in great danger of getting run over in the process...

Situational awareness is your best friend in your daily activities... I'm not suggesting that going armed and looking for trouble is anything to try to achieve at all... Paying attention to your surroundings while out in public is a pretty good idea though... Every time I see young folks out in public either talking on their cell phones or with ear buds on and music cranking I just shake my head... While on your daily rounds though - it is a good idea to note every place you pass that might offer cover if needed (or be a very good place for an attacker to have an advantage if not observed... At first it will take effort -after a while you get to the point where it's part of your daily routine. I used to joke years ago about learning early as a young cop to look around corners before walking around them... There's no need for that but it does point you in the right direction.

I really approve of the armed citizen movement - but there's more to it than just learning how to shoot, how to carry, and when you'd be justified if deadly action is necessary. I will maintain as long as I'm around that your tactics in a critical situation are far more important than whatever weapon you have at your hand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top