Police in Colorado Springs, Colorado say the man who opened fire at a birthday party early Sunday morning decided to pull the trigger after he was not invited to the gathering. He was previously identified as a boyfriend of one of the women he killed. Cops named him on Tuesday as Teodoro Macias, 28.
As previously reported, a gunman allegedly walked inside the gathering, opened fire, and then died by suicide. He killed six people identified by family members in local interviews. Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski officially named the victims in a Tuesday press conference:
- Joana Cruz
- Jose Guttierez
- Jose Ibarra
- Sandra Ibarra
- Mayra Perez
- Melvin Perez
Nubia Marquez, 28, told the Colorado Springs Gazette that the Saturday morning party was organized to celebrate her birthday and the upcoming birthdays of her brother Melvin and their mother Cruz.
Guttierez was Nubia’s other brother. Mayra was Melvin’s wife, while Sandra and Jose were her siblings. Nubia’s husband, Freddy Marquez, said he knew the suspected gunman only as Sandra’s boyfriend “Junior” and had only met him once. He believed “there was nothing out of the ordinary” about him.
Nubia and Freddy said they left around 10 p.m., about two hours before police received a report of the shooting.
THREAD: With the permission of close family and friends, here are the names and faces of the six family members shot and killed early Sunday morning at a birthday party in #ColoradoSprings.
Remember them.
1/@KOAA pic.twitter.com/PzgFMKn3wP
— Spencer Humphrey (@SHumphreyTV) May 10, 2021
Macias entered the residence, shot all six victims in quick succession, and then shot himself shortly after, said police Lt. Joe Frabbiele. Police received three 911 calls, two at 12:18 a.m. on Sunday and one at 12:22 a.m. One call originated from inside the home and captured rapid gunfire. Another was from a neighbor calling to report gunfire. One of the family members escaped the scene and made the third call. Three children, ages 2, 5, and 11, were in the residence; they were physically unharmed but witnessed what happened to some extent. Three teens, ages 16, 16, and 18, had left the residence before the shooting to get something from a neighbor.
Officers found Jose alive, but he died at the hospital, said Frabbiele.
Macias, a Colorado Springs residence, had been dating Sandra for about a year. Police believe he showed up unannounced and began to open fire using a Smith and Wesson M&P semi-automatic. Two 15-round magazines, including an empty one, were discovered at the scene. There were 17 shell casings, said Frabbiele.
The motive, police say, was the lack of an invitation.
The shooter had a history of controlling and jealous behavior toward Sandra, said Frabbiele. This included isolating her from her family and making efforts to keep her from family events. A week before the shooting, there was a conflict between the shooter and the family at another gathering in a different residence, said the lieutenant.
A reporter asked how police reached their determination about the motive. Frabbiele cited text messages between Sandra and the gunman.
There no previously reported or newly discovered incidents of physical altercations from the year-long relationship, said the lieutenant.
The next leg of the investigation will involve figuring out where the gunman obtained the weapon. The firearm was purchased from a gun store in 2014, but not by Macias, said Frabbiele. The gun has not been reported stolen. Investigators are working to find and interview the person who did purchase it, he said.
[Screengrab via 9News]
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