Colorado Springs woman charged with second degree murder after fatally shooting boyfriend
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Police have revealed more details in a fatal shooting that happened on Teal Court in southeast Colorado Springs Tuesday.
The victim, 41-year-old Marcus Hardin, was shot and killed by his girlfriend, 30-year-old Erica Arellano, court documents show.
According to the affidavit, Arellano and Hardin were at their residence arguing about their relationship in the 900 block of Teal Ct.
Arellano was trying to leave to pick up her child from school, but Hardin was holding the door closed to keep her from leaving. Arellano told officers that she had her gun and phone in her right hand and her keys and wallet in her left hand.
Arellano says she then attempted to move away from the door. That's when Hardin hit her over the head with a "pre workout shaker bottle," according to the affidavit.
Arellano says this caused her to fall to the floor as Hardin continued hitting her over the head with the bottle, and then with his fist.
Arellano crawled away from the door with her gun in her hand. She says that once she was near the couch in the living room she stood up and "just shot two fires." Hardin fell to the ground bleeding, and Arellano says she called police immediately.
She told police that Hardin had been yelling at her, and she turned around and "just shot" and that she "didn't even see if he was coming towards [her]."
When police asked why she shot a second time, Arellano said that she didn't know. "I think my finger was still on the trigger, I didn't mean to shoot him," she said.
Police then asked Arellano to clarify if she meant to shoot him the first time. She said, "No, I didn't even realize I had my gun in my hand," according to the affidavit.
Arellano is facing a charge of second degree murder, police say.
Previous coverage:
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Police responded to a shooting that happened in southeast Colorado Springs Tuesday. Police tell us that one man is dead.
The shooting was reported shortly after noon in the 900 block of Teal Court near Mallard and Chelton, according to police. According to initial reports, the person who called police claimed she was the victim's girlfriend and the shooting was her response to being struck. However, a spokesperson for CSPD couldn't confirm this on Tuesday.
CSPD also couldn't say if anyone was in custody or if any charges will be filed in this case. They did tell us that all parties in the shooting have been accounted for and there is no threat to the public.Paragraph
Investigators were on scene for nearly ten hours after the shooting happened. At that time the county coroner's office was able to remove the victim's body from inside the complex to be examined.
