Colorado Politics

History of mass shootings in Colorado

The shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, sadly, is far from the first mass shooting in Colorado. In fact, the shooting comes just a week before the anniversary of the Planning Parenthood shooting in Colorado Springs in 2015 that left three dead.

Police say five people are dead and 18 injured after the LGBTQ+ nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs late Saturday night, Nov. 19, 2022.

Here is a list of past mass shootings in the state.

Chuck E. Cheese, 1993, 4 dead 

On Dec. 14, 19-year-old gunman and former employee Nathan Dunlap opened fire on the staff of an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese, killing four and injuring one employee. 

Columbine High School, 1999, 15 dead 

Two armed teens went on a shooting rampage April 20, killing 12 students and one teacher, and wounding more than 20 others. After the attack, gunmen Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, killed themselves. At the time, this was the largest school shooting in U.S history. 

Platte Canyon High School, 2006, 2 dead 

On Sept. 27, armed 53-year-old Duane Roger Morrison entered Platte Canyon High School, taking six young girls hostage and sexually assaulted them. Following a three-hour standoff with police, Morrison killed one of the girls before turning the gun on himself. 

Youth With a Mission Center and New Life Church, 2007, 5 dead

In the morning of Dec. 9, 24-year-old Matthew John Murray opened fire on the Youth With a Mission Center in Arvada. He killed two, and injured two before escaping. Later that day, he made a similar attack on New Life Church in Colorado Springs, killing two and wounding three before shooting himself. 

Aurora Movie Theater, 2012, 12 dead 

One armed gunman, later identified as 25-year-old James Holmes, opened fire at a midnight showing of “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 and leaving 70 wounded. 

Arapahoe High School, 2013, 2 dead

Student and gunman Karl Pierson, 18, made an armed attack on Dec. 13 that killed one 17-year-old girl. Pierson took his own life on the scene.  

Halloween 2015, 3 killed, shooter killed by police 

Noah Harpham armed himself Halloween morning with an AR-15 rifle and two handguns, and went on a bloody rampage near downtown Colorado Springs that ended when Colorado Springs police officers fired on him.

Planned Parenthood, 2015, 3 dead 

An armed anti-abortion radical entered a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs on Nov. 27, killing three including one police officer. Following a standoff that lasted nearly five hours and left nine others injured, the shooter was identified as Robert Lewis Dear Jr., 57. 

Walmart, 2017, 3 dead 

On Nov. 1, 47-year-old Scott Ostrem opened fire in a Thornton Walmart, killing three shoppers. Ostrem escaped the scene and was later found and arrested in Westminster.

STEM school, 2019, 1 dead 

An 18-year-old student, Devon Erickson, opened fire in the Highlands Ranch school, killing one teen and leaving eight others injured. The 18-year-old victim and two other students charged Erickson, an effort that disarmed the shooter but resulted in the student being fatally shot to the chest. 

King Soopers, 2021, 10 dead 

On March 22, a gunman attacked a Boulder King Soopers grocery store. Among the 10 killed was a Boulder police officer. The suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, has so far been ruled incompetent to stand trial.

Birthday party massacre, 2021, 7 dead

The last mass shooting in Colorado Springs happened in May 2021, when a gunman killed six members of an extended family at a birthday party at a mobile home in Colorado Springs, before turning the gun on himself. It was the fourth deadliest mass shooting in state history, tied for the deadliest mass murder in the city’s history.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Colorado Springs police initially reported early Sunday that five people had died and 18 were wounded, then changed it to five dead and another 25 wounded. On Monday, a joint operation between police and the city of Colorado Springs corrected the totals to five fatalities, and 17 people sustained gunshot wounds, another person injured in another manner and one victim with no visible injuries but considered a victim, according to city spokesman Max D’Onofrio. The situation was very chaotic on Sunday, D’Onofrio said, which led to the change in numbers. The suspect also was wounded and remains in police custody in a local hospital. He brings the total to 25 people impacted.

Jace Khosla, right, talks to an officer outside of Club Q where a mass shooting took place late on Saturday, Nov. 19. (The Gazette, Parker Seibold)
Parker Seibold
Jace Khosla, right, talks to an officer outside of Club Q where a mass shooting took place late on Saturday, Nov. 19. (The Gazette, Parker Seibold)
Police officers stand outside a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder where ten people were killed in a shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers lead a group of King Soopers employees away from an active shooting at the grocery store on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley is moved into an ambulance from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency vehicles prepare to escort the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency responders move the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers stand at attention as emergency responders prepare to move the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency vehicles prepare to escort the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers prepare to drape an American flag over the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley at the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency vehicles escort the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency vehicles prepare to escort the body of slain Boulder Police officer Eric Talley from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency vehicles escort the body of a slain police officer from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers stand outside a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder where ten people were killed in a shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Boulder County district attorney Michael Dougherty speaks to the media as police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers salute as emergency vehicles escort the body of a slain police officer from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
A man holds a thin blue line flag as emergency vehicles escort the body of a slain police officer from the scene of a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. Ten people were killed in the shooting. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Boulder Police Department commander Kerry Yamaguchi speaks to the media as police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Boulder Police Department commander Kerry Yamaguchi speaks to the media as police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on Monday, March 22, 2021 in Boulder. (Michael Ciaglo/Special to The Denver Gazette)
Michael Ciaglo/Special to The De
Michael Ciaglo/Special to the gazette Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty speaks to the media as police officers respond to a shooting at a King Soopers on March 22.
Michael Ciaglo/Special to the gazette
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