WELD COUNTY, Colo — A man accused of asking his wife if he could "just shoot" a man they were trying to evict has been booked into jail on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, the Weld County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) announced Thursday.
WCSO said in a release that Keenesburg resident Brian Fletcher, 51, shot at 64-year-old Richard Warsaw Tuesday afternoon in the 1900 block of Weld County Road 55, which is about five miles south of Keenesburg. Another man, 55-year-old Roger Skeers, was injured by a ricocheting bullet, WCSO said.
Whitney Moore, 67, called dispatchers Tuesday and told them her husband had just shot a man, WCSO said.
Moore later told deputies she and and her husband had been having problems with Warsaw, who lived in a trailer on their property but had stopped paying rent, according to WCSO.
"Moore said she and Fletcher were filling out the required paperwork [earlier] to begin the eviction process when Fletcher asked his wife if he could just shoot Warsaw," WCSO said in a news release.
Warsaw told deputies he was working on his trailer when Fletcher exited the house, pointed the revolver at him, told him to get off the property and then started firing, WCSO said. Warsaw ran, taking cover behind a Conex-style storage container.
Skeers was also inside the storage container, WCSO said, and was struck in the abdomen by a ricocheting bullet. Skeers sustained only minor injuries, WCSO said.
Fletcher was taken into custody and booked into Weld County Jail on suspicion of:
- Attempted first-degree murder
- Second-degree assault
- Menacing
- Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
- Reckless endangerment
- Prohibited use of a weapon.
He remains at the jail on $150,000 bond.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at 970-356-4015
Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.
> More information about Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers can be found here.
> Additional NoCo Crime Stoppers bulletins can be found here.
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