The gunman who barricaded himself in a Denver apartment while shooting more than 100 rounds at five officers, killing one, has been identified as 37-year-old Matthew Riehl.
Riehl was fatally shot after firing repeatedly while barricaded in the bedroom of a suburban apartment in Denver, Colo. on New Year’s Eve. Four officers were injured and one was killed. Two civilians were also injured.
WATCH: Video shows SWAT team storming building in Colorado as gunfire heard
In a press conference later that day, authorities told reporters that an investigation would take place over the next several days into Riehl’s motives.
Almost two weeks before the shooting, Riehl posted a video on YouTube claiming to be a libertarian candidate for the Douglas County Sheriff’s position. The video was entitled “Fire Sheriff Spurlock,” and in the clip, he referred to Deputy Brian Briggs as a “pimp.”
Get breaking National news
WATCH: Colorado shooter planned to ‘ambush’ police, ‘fired over 100 rounds’
Spurlock confirmed that Riehl did not have a criminal record, though he was known to police for past instances of suspicious behaviour. Two months ago, Riehl was the subject of a warning to University of Wyoming students regarding several social media posts containing “rambling, nonsensical messages” that specifically mentioned the school, CNN reports. Riehl was a 2010 graduate of the University of Wyoming Law School.
The Nov. 6 email from Assistant College of Law Dean Lindsay Hoyt told students to notify campus police if they saw Riehl or his vehicle near campus. The email included a photo of Riehl and his car.
WATCH: Aftermath scene of shooting of several Colorado police officers
UW spokesman Chad Baldwin said Monday that the posts did not contain any direct threats. Baldwin says security on campus was increased for several days.
Before these incidents, Riehl was a war veteran who enlisted in the Army Reserve in 2003 and served in a tour of Iraq between 2009 and 2010. He was honourably discharged in 2012, CNN reported.
According to a police statement, an initial call was made to police at approximately 3 a.m. local time regarding a “verbal disturbance” involving two males.
“Both males were at the apartment, one male said the suspect was acting bizarre and might be having a mental breakdown,” said a police statement. The officers cleared the scene at approximately 3:44 a.m.
Deputies were called back to the area at around 5:17 a.m., were let into the apartment by a male, and shooting commenced at about 5:56 a.m.
Zachary Parrish, 29, was rendered unconscious by the shooting and didn’t survive his injuries, Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said. Four other officers by the names of Mike Doyle, 28, Taylor Davis, 30, Jeff Pelle 32 and SWAT Officer Tom O’Donnell, 41, were injured but are in stable condition.
With files from the Associated Press.
Comments