One man arrested on suspicion of shooting teen who allegedly broke into man's pickup truck
Jan. 21—Longmont police on Tuesday arrested a man who is suspected of shooting a 13-year-old boy after he and three others allegedly tried to break into the man's pickup truck.
The man faces charges of reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor; child abuse, a misdemeanor; menacing, a misdemeanor; disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor; second degree murder, a felony; second-degree assault, a felony; and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor.
About 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, Longmont police were dispatched to the 400 block of Kensington Street in reference to men trying to break into vehicles, according to an affidavit. Longmont Emergency Communications Center told police a white Cadillac was associated with the men. The center was also told by a caller — the man later arrested on suspicion of shooting the boy — that men were shooting at his home, the affidavit said.
Shannon Carbone, spokesperson with the Boulder County District Attorney's Office, could not confirm if it was the man suspected of shooting the boy is who initially called to report the vehicle break-ins. She added that more than one 911 call was made in connection with the incident.
Officers on Tuesday saw a white Cadillac leaving the area, the affidavit said. Police conducted a high-risk stop on the vehicle and found two men and two juvenile males inside, according to a news release from the Longmont Public Safety Department.
When the last male was removed from the vehicle, Officer Cooper Arvisais noticed injuries on his face, according to an affidavit. When Arvisais asked him what happened, the male responded he had been shot.
The male, who had reportedly been shot, was a 13-year-old boy, according to the release.
The boy told Arvisais he had been "tagging" or making graffiti in the area and then met up with friends who wanted to break into vehicles, the affidavit said. They were trying door handles of vehicles when a man came outside and told them to get away from his truck. When the 13-year-old boy turned to look, he was hit by bullets. The boy told police he ran and jumped a fence in a yard and then asked someone outside if he could use their phone, which he used to call his brother to pick them up.
The 13-year-old boy was evaluated by medics on scene, the affidavit said. He had a "medium-sized" penetrating wound on his left rib cage. The injury appeared to be consistent with a shotgun wad, a component of a shotgun shell. The boy was taken to the hospital by an ambulance. Inside the ambulance, Arvisais saw lead-like shrapnel in the boy's sweatshirt.
Arvisais asked where the shooting occurred, and the boy pulled up Facebook Messenger to give him the address of where his brother had picked him up. He told police the shots were fired from a house in the 400 block of Kensington Street and said a black pickup truck, parked under trees in front of a house was the vehicle they tried to break into. The boy told police he was in the middle of the street when he was hit by a bullet. He then ran to an alley and jumped a fence on East Fifth Avenue.
Officers searched the area of the house and found a shotgun wad, which was consistent with the description of where the boy said he had been standing, the affidavit said. A lead bb was also found nearby.
Officer Kurtis Hampton, who was at the scene, said he spoke with a man — who is suspected of shooting the boy — at that address earlier. The man had been working in a shop, which was toward the back of the house, the affidavit said. Hampton said he saw a shotgun in the shop.
Carbone could not confirm if Hampton spoke with the man when he initially reported men shooting at his house or when it was they spoke.
Police called the man, and he went outside to speak with them. He gave officers consent to retrieve the shotgun from his shop. Police found the gun and took it into evidence. They also found an empty 12-gauge shotgun shell near the back alley of the man's shop.
Police arrested the man and took him to jail. An additional search revealed several loaded shotgun shells in the man's right jacket pocket.
Longmont police spokesperson Robin Ericson said it is likely one or more of the people involved in the reported vehicle break-ins on Tuesday is also connected with vandalism that occurred at a church in the 700 block of Martin Street, near the area of the shooting.
One of the men suspected of breaking into vehicles on Tuesday was arrested on unrelated charges.
None of the other males suspected of breaking into vehicles have been arrested, Ericson said. Police are continuing to investigate their connection with the case.
Longmont Public Safety Department is asking anyone who lives in the area and has graffiti on their property or whose vehicle has been broken into to file a police report. Police are also asking witnesses or anyone with additional information regarding the case to contact Arvisais at 303-774-4300 extension 8887.
