CSU student identified as 1 of 3 dead in Fort Collins shooting
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ORIGINAL STORY: Just before 2 a.m. Thursday, callers began dialing 911 to report a shooting west of Colorado State University’s campus.
Within minutes, police vehicles were swarming the area.
Three people are dead and another is injured after the incident at 720 City Park Ave. — marking the deadliest shooting in Larimer County in more than a decade.
A Colorado State University student is among the dead, and police confirmed the suspect is also deceased.
Details on what exactly transpired were limited Thursday evening, but police confirmed the suspect likely knew at least one of the victims.
The Larimer County coroner identified 22-year-old Savannah McNealy as one of the shooting victims. The coroner ruled her death a homicide by multiple gunshot wounds, according to a news release by the office.
The coroner intends to release the identification of the other two people who died, as well as the cause and manner of their deaths, on Friday.
McNealy was a student at CSU, the university confirmed. CSU’s online directory indicated that McNealy was studying liberal arts, art and art history. She was also listed online as a designer for CSU Life, a monthly campus publication.
The small neighborhood near Campus West is heavily populated by CSU students — filled with apartment complexes and fraternity and sorority houses.
As the sun rose Thursday, the police investigation continued. Red and yellow police tape encircled the complex. Police officers stood watch around the blocked area, and neighbors watched from their balconies.
Police cruisers lined the block, and an interagency command post was stationed on-scene. The RV-like vehicle functions as a mobile police station so officers have access to computers and can coordinate with other agencies during large-scale investigations.
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Brooke Ehlers lives in a nearby apartment and said she was up late studying when she heard multiple gunshots and the sound of a woman screaming just before 2 a.m. She called 911 and said that within minutes, police vehicles were swarming the area.
CSU police first alerted the campus to the shooting about 2:35 a.m. The alert provided a description of a suspect and warned people nearby to stay inside. They posted two subsequent alerts in the early morning hours, and an “all clear” about 4:50 a.m. — shortly after Fort Collins police confirmed that they were no longer searching for suspects.
Crime tracker:Homicides in Larimer County
Jessica Sanow-Smith, a CSU graduate student, lives across the street from the scene. She said she was asleep at the time of the shooting but her husband, Luke Smith, heard multiple gunshots in the early morning hours and checked to make sure their doors were locked.
"I just woke up and had text messages from friends like, 'You live there. Are you OK?' And then I saw a bunch of emails on my phone (from CSU)."
Sanow-Smith said her husband thought the shots were fireworks at first because there are often fireworks in the area.
Lief Youngs, a resident of the apartment complex where the shooting took place, said he slept through the incident, but his roommate woke him up around 4 a.m. to tell him about it.
He said residents who had cars parked inside the crime scene tape were not able to move their vehicles. People who live inside the taped-off area had to leave their homes through back doors to avoid the crime scene or have a police officer escort them to and from their front doors, he said.
More:Recent Northern Colorado homicides raise question: Are we less safe?
The Fort Collins police investigation is ongoing.
Emergency communications indicated the injured victim was rushed to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, but police did not share details about the severity of the victim’s wounds.
CSU issued a campus email Thursday afternoon with information about the shooting and resources for the campus community.
"We are deeply saddened by this terrible loss to our campus community and will share more information as we have it," the statement said in part.
A team of counselors was made available for walk-in support at the Lory Student Center.
CSU administrators encouraged students to contact the CSU Health Network Counseling Services at 970-491-6053, and they encouraged faculty and staff to contact the Employee Assistance Program at 970-491-1527 or the ComPsych Guidance Resources at 1-800-497-9133. They encouraged people concerned about a student or employee to Tell Someone at 970-491-1350 or supportandsafety.colostate.edu/tellsomeone.
SummitStone Health Partners provides 24-hour crisis services for Larimer County residents. Contact 970-494-4200 or visit 1217 Riverside Ave.
Anyone with information about this incident, and who has not already spoken to police, is asked to contact Detective Tessa Jakobsson at 970-221-6575. People can also contact Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or stopcriminals.org.
*2017 totals only include two deaths from the Oct. 19 shooting as the manner of death of the suspect has not yet been determined.
Timeline of events
1:57 a.m.: Shortly before 2 a.m. Oct. 19, multiple callers report hearing shots fired at an apartment complex west of the Colorado State University campus. Police officers respond to 720 City Park Ave. and find four people with gunshot wounds.
2:35 a.m.: Colorado State University issues an alert about a shooting near campus and a suspect at large. The warning included a description of the suspect and asked people in the area to stay inside.
3:08 a.m.: CSU issues a second alert and says police are looking for the suspect.
4:05 a.m.: CSU issues a third alert about the suspect.
4:40 a.m.: Fort Collins police tweet that they are not searching for any “outstanding subjects” and there is no ongoing threat to public safety.
4:50 a.m.: CSU issues an “all clear” for campus.
8:22 a.m.: Fort Collins police update the shooting investigation to a homicide investigation.
12:46 p.m.: Fort Collins police announce that three people are dead and one person is injured in the shooting. One of the victims was a CSU student, and police said they believed the suspect knew at least one of the victims. They later clarify that the suspect is among the deceased.
Homicides in 2017
- Thomas Koontz: The 44-year-old Loveland man was strangled to death in May, reportedly by his girlfriend's son, but no charges were filed after the District Attorney's Office ruled that it could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was not in self-defense.
- Stephen Rich: The 48-year-old Loveland man was shot and killed by Loveland police on June 8 in what the District Attorney's Office ruled was justifiable due to a safety risk to both officers and civilians.
- Heather "Helena" Hoffmann: The 23-year-old Fort Collins woman was found in Sheldon Lake at City Park, and Jeffrey Scott Etheridge is on trial facing allegations of sexually assaulting and killing her.
- Chet Knuppel: The 23-year-old Fort Collins man was fatally shot by a Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputy on June 30 who was subsequently cleared by the Larimer County District Attorney's Office.
- Jeremy Holmes: The 19-year-old Fort Collins man was fatally shot by a Fort Collins Police Services office and a Colorado State University officer on July 1, which the Larimer County District Attorney's Office ruled justified.
- William Grabusky: The 65-year-old Fort Collins man was found dead in his apartment on July 23 and was determined to have been killed 10 days prior. Dylan Thompson is on trial for Grabusky's murder. Their connection is unclear.
- Sherri Allman: The 66-year-old woman was found stabbed to death in her mobile home Oct. 4 where police believe she was killed on or around Sept. 28. Police identified George Newman as a suspect, but Newman was involved in an incident with police in which he was shot and killed Oct. 1.
- George Newman: The 26-year-old was shot and killed by Fort Collins police Oct. 1 at Americas Best Value Inn in north Fort Collins. The officer involved in the incident is on paid administrative leave, pending the results of an investigation.
- Oct. 19: Fort Collins police have confirmed three people are dead after a shooting west of Colorado State University’s campus. The investigation is ongoing.
Reporter Saja Hindi contributed to this story.