COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Police said on Monday that a suspect has been arrested in a shooting in a University of Colorado Colorado Springs dormitory that left a man and a woman dead.
The arrest came hours before the campus community gathered to mourn 24-year-old Samuel Knopp and 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery, who police said were killed inside the Crestone House dormitory on the UCCS campus on Friday morning.
Knopp was a student at UCCS, while Montgomery was not a student, police said.
Colorado Springs police identified the alleged gunman as 25-year-old Nicholas Jordan. Jordan was a roommate of Knopp's, according to police.
The university said Jordan was also a student at UCCS. He is from Detroit, police said. In a release, they said the shooting was "an isolated incident" between individuals who knew one another.
Police said an arrest warrant was signed on Jordan Friday night. Monday morning, officers located him in a vehicle on Cliff Point Circle East in Colorado Springs and took him into custody.
Jordan's employer told 9NEWS he was at a job site, prepared to direct traffic at a construction site in a neighborhood, when police arrested him.
"We're happy that we've been able to take somebody into custody, and we can begin to move forward with all of the healing now," UCCS Police Chief Dewayne McCarver said.
Jacob Gutherless has known Samuel Knopp for nine years. He described him as quirky, funny and curious.
"When he showed up at our high school, he was the definition of a country boy. Used to walk around the halls playing the banjo, and instantly everybody adored him," Gutherless said. "He went from country kid to the jammin' rockin' kid who loved Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The thing he loved the most was playing his guitar, and I got to experience him do the thing he loved time and time again."
Even for those who only knew Knopp for a short time, one thing was clear. Music was his passion. Anthony Scornavacco only called Knopp a bandmate for a few sessions late in 2023, because Knopp was just too good.
"He was far too skilled to be in our band because he overshadowed everyone," Scornavacco said. "He played with conviction that you don't see in a lot of young guitar players."
Knopp was a young talent who will be missed for the notes he played and the example he set for pursuing his passion.
"Most people go to college and they are going for a business degree or an engineering degree or something, and he was going for a degree in what he truly loved," Scornavacco said.
A coworker of Celie Montgomery described her as a shy, quiet person, but someone who always had a bright smile on her face that could light up a room.
"She was a great friend and mother, and it just breaks my heart what happened to her and now her little babies have to live without their mom," Tay Knight said.
Monday afternoon, the campus community gathered for a solidarity walk to honor and remember Knopp and Montgomery. Hundreds of people, including students, staff, faculty, community members and police officers walked from Roaring Fork dining hall to El Pomar Plaza to show their support.
Memorial walk held at UCCS campus Monday
UCCS spokesperson Chris Valentine said grief counselors and other mental health professionals were at locations around campus Monday providing services for students and faculty.
"Since Friday, the weight that's been on this campus is unexplainable and I don't think it's lifted yet," Valentine said. "Events like this will help a little bit with that, but it's gonna take a lot of time for this organization to heal and get back to where we are. It is not a normal day at UCCS today."
UCCS is hosting two community forums on Tuesday, one for students at 1 p.m. and another for faculty and staff at 2 p.m. The school said it will provide information and answer questions regarding the homicide.
Timeline of the case
- Police received a call of shots fired shortly before 6 a.m. Friday.
- Officers entered a dorm room at 6:05 a.m. and found Knopp and Montgomery dead.
- A lockdown and shelter-in-place was ordered by police and the university just after 7 a.m.
- The shelter-in-place was reduced from being campus-wide to the area around Alpine Village at about 8 a.m.
- The shelter-in-place was fully lifted just after 9:30 a.m.
- Knopp and Montgomery's identities were released by Colorado Springs Police Sunday afternoon.
- On Monday just after noon, CSPD announced Jordan's arrest.
ARREST IN DEADLY CRASH: 2-car crash in Aurora leaves woman dead
FEDERAL CHARGES AGAINST COLORADO COUPLE: Colorado couple facing federal charges after plans to build 'white supremacist' school uncovered
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime