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Roommate's uncleanliness, smoking upset victim before university shooting that killed 2, affidavit says

Nicholas Jordan was arrested Monday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the deaths of Samuel Knopp and Celie Rain Montgomery.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A 25-year-old man accused of fatally shooting two people at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) got into arguments with one of the victims, who was his roommate, over uncleanliness and smoking indoors, according to an arrest affidavit released Friday.

Nicholas Trevon Jordan was arrested Monday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder in connection to the deaths of Samuel Knopp, 24, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, Colorado Springs Police said. Knopp and Jordan were students at the university, while Montgomery was not.

According to the affidavit, Jordan and Knopp lived with another roommate in the dormitory pod with four bedrooms and a common area in Crestone House. The third roommate is the one who reported the shooting to police just before 6 a.m. Feb. 16.

> Video above from Monday: UCCS community remembers shooting victims.

The roommate told police he was woken by gunshots and the immediate sound of a person moaning, followed by the sound of a door shutting and a person running, the affidavit says. He told investigators he did not exit his room until authorities arrived.

When officers arrived, they found both victims dead from multiple gunshot wounds.

The roommate said that he and Knopp believed Jordan had recently vacated his room in the pod following a significant number of complaints about Jordan smoking marijuana and cigarettes and the cleanliness of his living area. When police searched the dorm pod, they noticed that Jordan's room and another vacant room did not appear to have any personal belongings.

RELATED: Community remembers 2 people killed in dorm at UCCS; suspect arrested

Credit: Colorado Springs Police Department
Nicholas Jordan

The roommate told investigators that he and Knopp had to report Jordan multiple times for unsafe living conditions and smoking in the room, which school records confirmed, the affidavit says.

On Jan. 9, the roommate said Knopp left a bag of trash he had collected near Jordan's door, and Jordan told Knopp he would "kill him" and there would be consequences if Jordan was asked to take out the trash again, the affidavit reads. School records confirmed there were three documented complaints and interactions logged on Jan. 9 with campus police and housing.

RELATED: Judge sets $5 million cash bond for man accused of killing 2 people on Colorado Springs college campus

An electronic access number assigned to Jordan showed he accessed the building at 3:53 a.m. and again at 5:42 a.m. on the morning of the shooting, according to the affidavit. No other people were recorded using that door overnight Thursday into Friday. Police also confirmed Jordan's door key was the only one unaccounted for.

Police also said surveillance video showed someone wearing dark clothing accessing the door at the same times the key fob was used.

Jordan was arrested Monday after making an illegal U-turn on Garden of the Gods Road near Interstate 25, the affidavit says.

The affidavit also says Jordan filed an electronic request to withdraw from classes and housing at 3:12 p.m. Feb. 15, about 15 hours before the shooting.

On Friday during a bond hearing, Jordan's defense team attempted to get the judge to reduce his $5 million bail to a personal recognizance bond, which would have allowed Jordan to leave jail without paying money. His attorney argued Jordan is not a flight risk and that he has no money to post bond.

Prosecutors argued against any reduction in bail while telling the court that police found an assault rifle when they arrested Jordan.

"He had a fully loaded AK-47 assault rifle," the prosecutor said. "So there is every indication that he is a danger to the community. We have witnesses that he can potentially be a danger to."

The judge denied any reduction in bail.

Jordan's next scheduled court appearance is a preliminary hearing set for 9 a.m. on March 27.

Credit: Provided by family
Samuel Knopp [L] and Celie Rain Montgomery [R].

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