CO: Rampage Shooting Should Have Been a DGU

A rampage shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was likely reduced by quick thinking and citizen involvement.  Numerous people saw the shooter, and police response was fairly quick; but multiple citizens had opportunities to end the rampage before the police arrived, if they had been armed.   Several minutes elapsed form the first shooting to the time that police confronted and shot the suspect.  From kktv.com:

“I looked out my kitchen window and I saw a man in a green jacket firing an AR-15…waited a few seconds, went out of my house, looked to my left and saw a man down the street, probably 50 feet. I started following him and I called the cops,” Matt Abshire told The Gazette.

While waiting for CSPD to answer, Abshire kept tailing the suspect.

“Still following him, he’s heading left on Platte towards Palmer High School…probably a hundred yards past El Paso Street he stops, turns to his left, fires four shots, shoots two ladies, one in the jaw, one in the chest if I’m not mistaken.

Abshire told The Gazette he rushed to help, but that one of the victims was already dead. Police confirmed Saturday afternoon that both were killed.

Abshire said the officers encountered the gunman a moment later.

Matt Abshire did a commendable job in following the suspect, keeping tabs on the shooter, and informing the authorities about what was going on.  It appears that there were multiple citizens calling police with information. 

I do not mean to detract from Mr. Abshire’s actions one iota, but if he had even a simple .22 rimfire rifle, he might have stopped the attack and saved lives before the police arrived.  He was able to follow the subject and report observations to the police.  It is hard to believe that he would not have been able to place effective fire on the perpetrator. 

I was not there, and it is likely that many more details will be reported as this story unfolds, but this could have ended differently if an armed citizen had been present.   Matt Abshire is only 21 years old, so he has barely had time to obtain a Colorado carry permit.  It is unlikely that he has one.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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