CU Boulder police cars blocked off some of the streets and businesses of The Hill to investigate a shooting in that occurred in Boulder at 1:27a.m. on October 2, 2022. (Io Hartman/CU Independent)
The Boulder Police Department (BPD) responded to a shooting that took place in downtown Boulder on Monday evening, Feb. 27, according to a tweet sent out at 10:20 p.m.
On Tuesday morning, Feb. 28, BPD Public Information Officer Dionne Waugh said the person injured in the shooting was in stable condition. Just before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, officials published a press release with more information about the incident.
Officers arrived at the scene of the shooting just after 10 p.m., according to the release. They found one person shot in the leg, who was transported to the hospital for treatment of “life-threatening injuries.”
Although initial reports by police said the victim was male, she later told officers she identifies as female.
“The victim had been sleeping outside when they were confronted by the suspect, who ran away after the shooting,” the release said.
Detectives are investigating if the suspect and the victim knew each other.
Initial efforts to find the suspect by police were unsuccessful, and law enforcement could not locate the person after a search. As of Tuesday afternoon, officers still have not made any arrests, but are following up on several “strong leads.”
In their initial message, police said the shooting occurred at the corner of 13th St. and Canyon Boulevard, just a few blocks from the Boulder Public Library and Pearl Street.
The University of Colorado Boulder Police Department (CUPD) assisted BPD in responding to the call, alongside law enforcement personnel from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office.
In a university-wide alert sent out at 10:25 p.m., officials said police are searching for a heavy-set white man with dark hair and a large coat. The alert cautioned community members to avoid the area, and it said there was a heavy police presence near the 1300 block of Canyon Blvd.
BPD updated their description of the suspect to clarify he is “described as a white male in his 20s wearing a heavy winter jacket with longer brown hair.”
In a second alert sent just after 11 p.m. on Monday, CU Boulder officials instructed residents living in all family housing buildings — located near 17th St. and Athens Court — to lock their doors and close windows.
At 11:18 p.m., a third alert cautioned community members to stay away from the Boulder Creek path near Folsom Street and Newton Court, just north of Folsom Field and main campus, due to the police presence.
In a tweet, Boulder Police said they were unable to locate the shooting suspect after an “extensive” search.
A fifth university alert, sent just after 12:20 a.m., said university family housing units were “cleared.” The alert advised residents they could resume normal activities, including parts of the Boulder Creek path near campus that were previously closed.
CUPD maintained high visibility near the university’s family housing throughout the night as police conducted an evidence search, according to university police spokesperson Christine Mahoney.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Celia Frazier contributed to this reporting.
Contact CU Independent Editor-in-Chief Henry Larson at henry.larson@colorado.edu.
