Editor’s note: This story has been updated to add comments provided by the public information officer for Fort Collins Police Services.
Fort Collins Police Service are investigating a shooting at Foothills Mall, on a sidewalk between the parking lot and the mall building. Two victims were shot, and both died from injuries after being transported to a local hospital.
Heavy police presence was reported in the area at 5:36 p.m., FCPS posted on Twitter. “Heavy police presence at Foothills Mall in Fort Collins,” the first statement read. “Please avoid the area while police assess the incident.”
At 5:53 p.m., FCPS posted another update saying that officers were responding to a shooting at the mall. “Operations at the mall have been suspended,” the posted updated said “The public is asked to avoid the area.”
Finally, at 6:30 p.m., FCPS posted that operations remained suspended at Foothills Mall.
“The mall is closed to patrons and staff,” the statement said. “Officers are in the process of safely releasing anyone who was sheltered inside.”
A media staging area was being set up for a press briefing at the time of publication.
More details were provided by FCPS’s Public Information Officer J. Gilmore at the press briefing.
“We do know that there are at least two victims,” Gilmore said. “The suspect is not in custody. We are following several leads … They’re releasing people as they’re … moving through and securing those areas.”
The mall is still sectioned off and being investigated. No other information was made available at the time of publication and update.
FCPS posted a final update to their Facebook page, saying that “The investigation has transferred to FCPS Criminal Investigations Division and a police presence is expected to remain for the next several hours while they process the scene.”
The update also explained that the shooting was reported around 5 p.m. and that it happened on a sidewalk outside the mall, and there is “no indication of additional victims.”
According to a press release published April 6, police think this may be a gang-related crime. A juvenile male suspect was arrested overnight, and FCPS stated in the press release that his identity would not be released due to him being a minor.
“Detectives worked through the night on this case and were able to make an arrest,” said Assistant Chief Frank Barrett, who oversees the FCPS Criminal Investigations Division in the press release. “Though events like this are rare in Fort Collins, our officers maintain a high standard of training to ensure they are prepared to keep our city safe, no matter the rarity. There is still much work to be done as we continue working on this case. Thank you to all our partner agencies who responded to assist with scene safety.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates will be provided as available.
Reach Allie Seibel at news@collegian.com or on social media @CSUCollegian.
