What we know about the shooting at the Colorado Supreme Court building as the suspect is set for first hearing
Originally Published: 03 JAN 24 00:03 ET Updated: 03 JAN 24 07:15 ET By Steve Almasy, CNN
(CNN) — A man accused of firing gunshots inside the building that houses the Colorado Supreme Court is scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday morning, according to online jail records.
The shooting happened Tuesday morning after 1 a.m. when a man who fled a two-car accident scene shot out a window of the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center and went in, according to a news release from Denver.
Police say the man forcibly took keys from an unarmed security guard, fired shots in the building and set a fire in a stairwell.
The break-in comes after a recent state supreme court ruling against former President Donald Trump’s eligibility for office, but an investigation “confirmed a high probability” the incident is not connected to recent threats against justices.
Here’s what we know about the shooting:
A man has been arrested
Denver police are holding Brandon Olsen, 44, who surrendered at the scene almost two hours after the vehicle crash, authorities said. Prosecutors haven’t formally charged him and he was initially being held without bail. It is unclear whether Olsen has an attorney.
His first court hearing is scheduled at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to online jail records. The holding charges are first-degree arson, aggravated robbery and second-degree burglary. All are felonies.
Police don’t think there is a link to Trump court ruling
Olsen cooperated with interviews, according to a probable cause affidavit, but all of his statements in the court document are redacted. If he divulged a motive, authorities have not made it public.
The break-in comes two weeks after the court ruled 4-3 to remove Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot, finding he was ineligible to hold office under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.”
But authorities said Tuesday they don’t believe the decision and the break-in are related.
The building was almost empty
The downtown building – which houses the state’s Supreme Court, Colorado Court of Appeals and other judicial agencies – apparently had just two people in it when the man broke in during the overnight hours, authorities said.
The security guard was sitting alone at the information desk before investigating a noise, the affidavit says. The guard then was held at gunpoint by the suspect while trying to use a key to open a door for the pistol-wielding man, according to the court document.
The other person in the building who is mentioned in the affidavit is a woman who was working in an office. She told detectives she left when she heard the fire alarm and said she didn’t witness the shooting or fire.
Police said no one was injured during the ordeal, but “there is significant and extensive damage to the building.”
CNN’s Joe Sutton, Andi Babineau, Dakin Andone, Chris Boyette and Rachel Webb contributed to this report.
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