UPDATE: CSPD Searches After Possible Sighting of Murder Suspect
A 2-1/2-hour search by Colorado Springs police Thursday afternoon failed to produce a suspect, placed Grant Elementary School on lockdown for an hour and motivated a family to make an emotional appeal.
Police said they received a tip around 1:30 p.m. that they saw someone matching the description of Alonzo Paige in the area. Paige, 20, is the suspect in the Timberlane Apartments shooting that killed two people and injured two others on Tuesday.
KRDO Newschannel 13 is cooperating with police’s request to keep the exact location of the search confidential to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. Police wouldn’t confirm that Paige was the suspect they were seeking. The search ended at 4 p.m. with no one in custody.
“We spoke with a lot of people,” said an officer at the scene. “If we tip him off, he won’t come back here.”
At 4:30 p.m., a group identifying itself as the mother and two older brothers of Paige came to the school, frantic about hearing he might be in the area. They defended Paige, saying he acted in self defense if he did commit the shootings, and imploring him to surrender for the sake of his infant daughter.
The family members also said they have been on the run as well, leaving home and moving from motel to motel, out of fear of retaliation from people connected with the victims’ families.
Grant School, on Westwood Blvd., is about half a mile away from the search area. Police say the lockdown was only a precaution and no actual threat was made towards the school or any students.
Devra Ashby, spokeswoman for School District 11, said the lockdown lasted from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. as students were going home for the day. She said students were not allowed to walk home during that time, and that school staff escorted students who were going home by bus or in parents’ vehicles.
