State Watch

7 dead in Colorado Springs shooting during birthday party

A shooting at a birthday party in Colorado Springs, Colo., has left seven people dead, police said.

Colorado Springs police said in a press release that officers responded to a mobile home park in the early morning hours of Sunday and found six people dead and one injured.

Police said the injured man was taken to a local hospital, where he died. 

Colorado Springs police said the victims and others were celebrating a birthday when the boyfriend of one of the female victims walked into the residence and opened fire. The shooter then took his own life, police said.

All of the deceased victims are adults, authorities said. Children at the party were left uninjured. 

“Words fall short to describe the tragedy that took place this morning. As the chief of police, as a husband, as a father, as a grandfather, as a member of this community, my heart breaks for the families who have lost someone they love and for the children who have lost their parents,” Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski said in a statement. “This is something you hope never happens in your own community, in the place that you call home.”

“Today we find ourselves mourning the loss of lives and praying solemnly for those who were injured and those who lost family members in a senseless act of violence on Sunday morning. We think too of the emergency personnel who responded to a horrific scene and we keep them in our prayers today,” Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said in a statement. 

Colorado saw another mass shooting just months ago, when a massacre at a Boulder supermarket left 10 people dead.

Colorado Springs police said they are still investigating the motive of the suspect and will release the names of the victims and the suspect later at a later date.

The Hill has reached out to the Colorado Springs Police Department for comment.