COLORADO SPRINGS — Days after a rifle-toting assailant stormed a Colorado Springs neighborhood, Mayor John Suthers said he sees no reason to restrict residents’ ability to openly carry firearms.
“What your open carry laws are don’t dictate what your violent crime rate is,” Suthers said.
His comments came as debate swirled about a state law allowing people to openly carry guns in public, and numerous publications scrutinized the Colorado Springs Police Department’s initial handling of a 911 call about the gunman on Halloween.
At least 10 minutes before the Oct. 31 shooting spree began, a neighbor saw Noah Harpham, 33, carrying a rifle and gas cans outside his home. He also approached at least one other home, 911 recordings show.
About halfway into the 911 call, the operator referenced Colorado’s open carry law.
“Well, it is an open carry state, so he can have a weapon with him or walking around with it,” the 911 operator said. “But of course, having those gas cans, it does seem pretty suspicious. So we’re going to keep the call going for that.”
Officers didn’t respond until after the first shots rang out at 8:55 a.m. The call was first given a priority three status, then upgraded to priority two and filed as a possible burglary, according to Colorado Springs police.
At 8:55 a.m., Harpham gunned down a passing bicyclist, Andrew Alan Myers, 35. Officers were then told to stop what they were doing and respond.
Armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a .357 revolver and a 9mm pistol, Harpham killed Jennifer Vasquez, 42, and Christy Galella, 35, before dying in a shootout with Colorado Springs police.
On Thursday, the gun control advocacy group Colorado Ceasefire seized on the 911 recordings, calling on lawmakers to pass legislation prohibiting the open carry of firearms. Too often, the law leaves police “paralyzed” with uncertainty about how to respond to calls for help, said Eileen McCarron, the group’s president. Suthers — the state’s former attorney general — said police and the 911 operator appeared to act appropriately.
