COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A Colorado Springs liquor store owner is blaming city cutbacks for increased crime in a darkened neighborhood, including a fatal shooting.
Gaspar Martinez, owner of Ruskin Liquor, says violence in the area has increased since the city turned off a streetlight in front of his business to save money.
A 62-year-old man died after he was shot Sunday night outside the El Ranchito market, near Martinez’s liquor store. Authorities haven’t released his name. An autopsy is planned.
The cash-strapped city has turned off 8,000 lights for an estimated savings of $1.2 million this year in energy and maintenance. A task force including police, firefighters, utility workers and traffic division workers chose the lights.
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Information from: The Gazette,
