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Police arrested a suspect who allegedly broke into the Colorado Supreme Court building and opened fire.
The Denver Police Department identified the suspect as 44-year-old Brandon Olsen in a statement to Newsweek. He is being held for investigation of charges included robbery, burglary and arson.
Olsen allegedly shot through a window to enter the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center, which houses the Colorado Supreme Court, early Tuesday morning, The Denver Post reported.
After entering the building, he allegedly held an unarmed security officer at gunpoint and took their keys. While inside the building, the man allegedly shot at police, who did not return fire, the newspaper reported. He also fired additional shots on the seventh floor of the building. Nobody was injured, and the Carr building is set to remain closed throughout Tuesday.
The incident comes just weeks after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump should be removed from the state's primary ballot over his actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Critics have argued that his actions constituted a violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which bars elected officials who have engaged in an insurrection from holding political office.
However, Colorado State Patrol does not believe the shooting was "associated with previous threats to the Colorado Supreme Court Justices" made following their ruling, The Denver Post said.
Police have not released specific information about his motive.
The Denver Police Department is leading the investigation. Olsen was allegedly involved in a crash at about 1:15 a.m. local time in the area and allegedly pointed a handgun at another driver, police told The Denver Post. The suspect called 911 at about 3 a.m. and surrendered to police.
Newsweek reached out to the Denver Police Department for comment via phone call and email.
The Denver Police Department previously said it was investigating threats "directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices" and would be "providing extra patrols around justice's residences" following the ruling last month when the court decided 4 to 3 that Trump should not appear on the Republican presidential primary ballot.
Trump has since been added back to the ballot pending a review from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Police said law enforcement responded to a Colorado justice's home on December 21 in response to what appeared to be a "hoax report."
"Everything checked clear, and we are continuing to investigate this report. Due to security and privacy considerations, and the ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide any additional information at this time," a DPD spokesperson told CNN.
Update 1/2/24, 11:43 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 1/2/24 2:54 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more