Worker dies after being shot in face at auto repair shop
An unidentified gunman walked into an Englewood auto repair shop Thursday afternoon and shot an employee in the face with a shotgun, police said.
The employee was taken in critical condition to Swedish Medical Center, where he later died.
Police responded about 3:30 p.m. to 2 Brothers Automotive, 2720 S. Tejon St., but the gunman had already fled.
Investigators recovered a shotgun about a block from the scene, and the shooter left behind a ski mask, police said.
No motive has been given, but police are speculating that the shooter might have been a disgruntled customer who was in the shop earlier Thursday.
Employees told investigators the customer had made threats to employees.
Witnesses who saw the gunman flee described him as Hispanic- looking, between 20 and 30, about 6 feet tall, with a medium build and possibly wearing a yellow shirt with khaki pants.
COLORADO
Bill limits water for kayaking parks
Gov. Bill Owens on Thursday signed a compromise bill to limit the amount of water set aside for white-water parks.
Environmentalists backed the proposal (Senate Bill 37) because it gives state and county governments more flexibility in asking for water rights for the parks used by kayakers.
There previously weren’t any limits on how much water could be set aside for white-water parks, which led some to worry that those water rights could block future development by taking all the remaining water available in a river.
DENVER
Firefighter who collapsed is released
A Denver firefighter who collapsed while fighting a house fire this week was released from the hospital Thursday in good condition, Fire Chief Larry Trujillo said.
Billy Green, 35, passed out Tuesday while fighting a basement fire in the 500 block of South High Street. Green is a 10-year veteran firefighter.
The apparatus that regulates airflow into his mask was improperly attached, causing Green to lose consciousness in thick smoke inside the house.
Fellow emergency workers carried him from the house and resuscitated him. He was in critical condition when he arrived at a Denver-area hospital.
DENVER
New undersheriff vows to improve jails
Pledging to make Denver’s jails national showplaces for inmate rehabilitation, William Lovingier was named Denver’s new undersheriff Thursday.
Lovingier, who will be director of corrections, will manage two jails, run the security operations of the Denver district and county court system, and oversee more than 800 staff members. He led the move to get a new jail and court building.
“After evaluating qualified candidates from around the country, we determined that the best person for the job was already right here,” Mayor John Hickenlooper said.
Lovingier said he hopes to provide better programming to help inmates find homes and jobs when they are released.
HUERFANO COUNTY
Case of hantavirus is state’s first in 2006
Colorado health officials identified the first reported hantavirus case of 2006, a Huerfano County man who became ill in late April and remains hospitalized.
An investigation into how he was exposed to the disease is being conducted, said John Pape, a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment epidemiologist who specializes in animal-related diseases.
Last year a record number of hantavirus cases were reported in the state: 11, one of which was fatal, Pape said.
Hantavirus is a serious and sometimes fatal respiratory disease carried by deer mice in rural areas. The virus can infect humans when they inhale dirt and dust contaminated with deer mice urine and feces.
COMMERCE CITY
Charter school official faces 14 theft charges
The founder and director of finance of the Community Leadership Academy in Adams County School District 14 faces felony theft and embezzlement charges after she is alleged to have stolen $72,000 from the charter school.
An arrest warrant was issued for Katie Squair, 51, on Wednesday, and she surrendered to Commerce City police. Squair is free on $10,000 bond.
A three-month investigation of Squair by police and the Adams County district attorney centered on checks, wire transfers and debits involving the school, according to the DA’s office. The school, with an enrollment of 300 students, opened in August.
Squair faces two counts of felony 2 theft, two counts of felony 3 computer crime, one count of felony 4 theft, one count of felony 5 embezzlement of public property and one count of misdemeanor theft.
DENVER
Porn photographer resigns as cop
Former Denver undercover police officer Damon Bolden, accused of threatening a woman after she refused to let him post pornographic pictures of her on the Internet, pleaded guilty Thursday to harassment, a class 3 misdemeanor.
Bolden was given a two-year deferred judgment by Denver County Judge Mary Celeste and ordered to pay $671 in fines and court costs and take anger management courses. His resignation was a condition of the plea.
If Bolden stays out of trouble for two years, the guilty plea will be dismissed. If Bolden violates any conditions, he could receive a maximum penalty of six months in jail.
