Current:Home > BackStudent arrested in dorm shooting in Colorado Springs was roommate of victim, police say-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Student arrested in dorm shooting in Colorado Springs was roommate of victim, police say
View Date:2024-12-23 20:20:18
The 25-year-old student who was arrested on murder charges in the fatal shooting at the University of Colorado campus in Colorado Springs was roommates with one of the two victims found dead in a dormitory, authorities said Tuesday.
Nicholas Jordan, of Detroit, was taken into custody on Monday on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the shooting that killed Samuel Knopp, a 24-year-old student at the university, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, who was not enrolled in the school.
Jordan and Knopp were roommates, Ira Cronin, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY. "Other aspects of their relationship (are) tied to our ongoing investigation and we won’t be revealing that at this time," Cronin said.
Police have said the Friday incident was isolated and that Jordan knew Knopp and Montgomery. Jordan was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.
Here's what we know so far:
Shots heard, school under lockdown
Officers with the campus police department were called to Crestone House, an on-campus dormitory, after shots were heard around 6 a.m. Friday.
Inside a dorm room, officers found two bodies, triggering an hourslong campus lockdown as investigators worked to determine whether there was an active shooter.
At the request of the university police, the Colorado Springs Police Department took over the investigation. By Friday night, officers had Jordan's name and attained a warrant for his arrest.
"This incident does not appear to be a murder-suicide and both deaths are being investigated as homicides," the city police said Friday in a post on X.
On Sunday afternoon, the department publicly identified Knopp and Montgomery and said "Investigative efforts so far continue to indicate this is an isolated incident between parties that were known to one another and not a random attack against the school or other students at the university."
Police arrest suspect without incident
Police said officers from the motor vehicle theft unit spotted Jordan in a car less than three miles from campus Monday morning and he was arrested without incident shortly afterward.
Jordan was being held in the El Paso County Jail on a $1 million bond as of Tuesday morning, according to the county jail website.
Campus mourns Knopp and Montgomery
The university was closed over the weekend and classes were canceled Monday, though dozens of people participated in a memorial walk at the school of more than 11,000 students and nearly 2,000 faculty and staff.
"As we mourn the loss of Samuel Knopp and Celie Montgomery, my hope is that we will come together as a community, support one another and share in our grief. Please remember that you are not alone," Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet wrote in an email to students.
Sobanet described Knopp as an "accomplished guitar player and an extremely talented musician" who was "a beloved member of the Visual and Performing Arts department."
Although Montgomery was not a student, she will be "mourned by our campus community," Sobanet said.
Montgomery was a student in the Pueblo Community College culinary arts program for one semester in fall 2020, according to Amy Matthew, a spokesperson for the school.
“The Pueblo Community College family extends heartfelt condolences to the family of former PCC student Celie Montgomery, as well as to the family of Samuel Knopp," said Patty Erjavec, the president of Pueblo Community College, in a statement. "These deaths, and the ensuing unimaginable pain, are happening much too often in an environment where teaching and learning should be our only concern.”
The fatal shooting comes a week after another student died on campus. The Scribe, UCCS' student newspaper, reported that on the night of Feb. 12, nursing student Mia Brown died after having a medical emergency at the rec center.
Contributing: Sarah Al-Arshani, Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY
veryGood! (26)
Related
- The Surreal Life’s Kim Zolciak Fuels Dating Rumors With Costar Chet Hanks After Kroy Biermann Split
- Jana Kramer Claps Back at Rumors Her Pregnancy Is Fake
- Two Missouri men accused of assaulting officers during riot at the U.S. Capitol charged
- Australia cannot strip citizenship from man over his terrorism convictions, top court says
- 'Cowboy Carter' collaborators to be first country artists to perform at Rolling Loud
- A 'tropical disease' carried by sand flies is confirmed in a new country: the U.S.
- US consumers feeling slightly less confident in October for 3rd straight month
- Adolis Garcia, Max Scherzer injuries: Texas Rangers stars removed from World Series roster
- John Krasinski Details Moment He Knew Wife Emily Blunt Was “the One”
- The Day of the Dead in Mexico is a celebration for the 5 senses
Ranking
- A herniated disc is painful, debilitating. How to get relief.
- Trial starts for man charged with attempted murder in wedding shootings
- Youngkin issues order aiming to combat antisemitism, other anti-religious hatred
- NFL trade deadline updates: Chase Young to 49ers among flurry of late moves
- Georgia public universities and colleges see enrollment rise by 6%
- 'Grief is universal': Día de los Muertos honors all dead loved ones. Yes, even pets.
- 'Saving lives': Maui police release dramatic body cam video of Lahaina wildfire rescues
- Robert De Niro loses temper during testimony at ex-assistant's trial: 'This is all nonsense!'
Recommendation
-
Diamond Sports Group can emerge out of bankruptcy after having reorganization plan approved
-
'Bridgerton' actor had 'psychotic breaks' while on show, says Netflix offered 'no support'
-
NFL trade deadline updates: Chase Young to 49ers among flurry of late moves
-
Tunisia’s Islamist party leader is sentenced to 15 months in prison for supporting terrorism
-
'Red One' review: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans embark on a joyless search for Santa
-
Hong Kong leader John Lee will miss an APEC meeting in San Francisco due to ‘scheduling issues’
-
Eruption of Eurasia’s tallest active volcano sends ash columns above a Russian peninsula
-
A pilot has been indicted for allegedly threatening to shoot the captain if the flight was diverted