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University Hill shooting captured on video

Zakiyy Lucas was shot by an officer after firing shots early Sunday morning in the University Hill area, an arrest affidavit says.

BOULDER, Colo. — A 22-year-old man who was shot and wounded in a confrontation with Boulder Police officers in the University Hill area over the weekend faces attempted murder charges, court records show.

Zakiyy Lucas was shot in the arm and taken into custody early Sunday morning after officers responded to a disturbance call near the 1200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Police are also looking for another person, pictured below, in connection to the shooting.

CU students said Tuesday they are concerned about the shootings -- and about a lack of communication from the university. 

"I think the scariest part is we don’t really know what’s going on. We’re just hearing it through the grapevine," said senior Loren Palmer, who lives on the Hill. 

Freshman Jonah Paquette said he heard the gunshots while out with friends early Sunday morning. 

"All of us didn’t know what was happening. Just looked around, everyone was super shocked. We just darted for the apartment, make sure we were safe," he said. 

"Personally, I think it’s frightening. I think that CU has got to take some responsibility," sophomore Ari Chananya said. "I feel like there needs to be more police work or something to stop this, because it’s just not safe around here."

According to an arrest affidavit, Lucas was involved in a confrontation with two other men. 

A citizen uploaded a video that showed a fight involving Lucas and two other men. According to the arrest affidavit, Lucas is on the ground being struck and kicked by the men. The fight happened near the northeast corner of 13th Street and Pennsylvania Street.

RELATED: 'It's terrifying': CU students warn of escalating violence on University Hill

According to a witness, during the disturbance, Lucas went to a nearby vehicle and returned to confront the others with what appeared to be a rifle.

Another bystander captured additional portions of the altercation. The video shows Lucas engaged in an argument with another man who is walking toward him at the intersection of 13th Street and Pennsylvania Street 

As the two men walk across the street toward Lucas, the video shows Lucas walking backward and raising what looks like an "AR-15 style pistol toward the men and bystanders," the affidavit says.

He then fires one shot toward the men and the others in the area, the affidavit says.

The video shows a muzzle flash and the recoil in Lucas' hands. Lucas then turns and runs to the west, the affidavit says. As he does, return gunfire from an unknown source is heard in the video. The sound of gunfire is audible but is not seen in the footage, according to the affidavit.

Those shots are believed to be from officers who were nearby on an unrelated call. As they rounded a corner, they saw Lucas backing toward them and saw him fire a shot from a gun, the affidavit says.

RELATED: Man accused of firing gunshots in multiple Boulder locations Monday night

One officer can be heard giving commands to Lucas as he ran toward the officer, the affidavit says. That officer then drew his weapon and fired about four shots.

As he ran, Lucas eventually dropped his weapon and was given additional commands. He can be heard stating "I dropped it, I dropped it." Lucas then told officers he had been struck by gunfire and then began treating his wounds, the affidavit reads.

When asked who he was shooting at, he stated, it was someone "who tried to jump my homie right quick," the affidavit says.

Lucas has a brief criminal history and was arrested in June 2022 for a similar disturbance where he was involved in a street fight in Downtown Boulder.

He's being held at the Boulder County Jail on a bond of $500,000 and faces attempted murder and disorderly conduct charges. He's due in court on Oct. 6.

The Critical Incident Team is investigating the use of force by the officer(s) involved. Once the investigation is completed, the District Attorney will conduct a thorough review to determine what, if any, action is appropriate under the circumstances.

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