Authorities release final report on Halloween shootings

Authorities ended an eight-month investigation Tuesday into actions taken by Colorado Springs police during a triple homicide on Halloween 2015.

Noah Harpham died during a shootout with officers at the intersection of Platte and Wahsatch avenues.

Harpham earlier killed three people after trying to set fire to his home a few blocks away on Prospect Street.

The report by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office provides the following details:

The first victim, Andrew Myers, was shot while on his bicycle around 8:45 a.m. in front of Harpham’s home.

The two other victims, Christina Galella-Baccus and Jennifer Vasquez, were shot around 8:57 a.m. while sitting on a front porch on Platte Avenue.

Harpham fired a total of 18 shots at the three scenes from a gun later confirmed to be an assault rifle. He also was armed with two handguns.

At least six officers, including two trainees, confronted Harpham at the Platte-Wahsatch intersection around 9 a.m. Harpham fired at them and the officers returned fire, killing Harpham.

Video and audio recorded by two private security cameras in the area confirmed that Harpham was the shooter and fired at officers first, with the entire confrontation lasting fewer than 10 seconds.

Several of Harpham’s bullets struck a parking area next to the Palmer High School athletic complex where a youth wrestling tournament was underway. No one was hurt there.

Authorities later found stacked wood, flammable liquids, four small propane tanks and many unfired rounds inside Harpham’s burning home. Firefighters extinguished the flames before they caused extensive damage.

Witnesses called 911 before the shooting and said they saw him carrying a long gun and what appeared to be cans of gasoline.

However, the initial dispatcher did not consider the situation serious enough to send an officer to the scene immediately, and said an officer would be sent as soon as possible.

Earlier that morning, Harpham tried to contact his ex-girlfriend who lived across the street, who had been warned by Harpham’s mother to stay away from him.

On the day of the shootings, Harpham’s stepfather and brother had boarded flights from the East Coast to come to Colorado Springs and try and get help for Harpham.

In the days before the shooting, Harpham’s family became worried about his emotional and mental condition, and his ex-girlfriend said he was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder that made him dangerous to be around.

However, the family said police could not help them get Harpham to a medical facility because he wasn’t yet a threat to himself or others.

The responding officers were described as “heroic,” and were found to be reasonable and justified in their use of deadly force.

Vanessa Rich, the mother of Galella-Baccus, said she holds no grudges toward Harpham’s family or to police dispatchers for not immediately sending officers to the neighborhood.

“I did, in the very beginning, hold 911 operators responsible,” Rich said. “But in 17 minutes, he went over a mile and a half. So I’ve kind of given up on the idea that it’s all their fault. It’s the shooter’s fault. I have to find forgiveness and move on for my family.”

Galella-Baccus would have celebrated her 35th birthday in August. She leaves two children.

Wilbert Gregory’s friend had a surveillance video on his business that captured Harpham walking down the sidewalk carrying a rifle. The video was included in the report released Tuesday. Gregory said it’s eerie knowing that he was standing on the sidewalk moments before Harpham walked by.

“If we would have been here any more than a couple minutes longer we would have gotten shot,” said Gregory.

He said the video and the shooting have changed him.

“Seeing that video really made me cherish life a little bit more. Made me understand that life is not promised to us, you don’t know when you are going to go. You don’t know how close you are to death until you see something like this,” said Gregory.

To read the entire report, visit: http://mail.npgco.com/service/home/~/?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=209222&part=2.