Man accused of shooting Colorado Springs officer was Iraqi refugee

The accused shooter who left a Colorado Springs police officer “gravely wounded” last week was a refugee from Iraq and had been in the U.S. for nearly six years.

But despite his chance at a new life in the U.S., Karrar Noaman Al Khammasi racked up a lengthy criminal background dating back to November 2013.

Al Khammasi is accused of shooting CSPD Officer Cem Duzel in the head while Duzel and several other officers responded to a call near Bonfoy and Boulder. Al Khammasi was also shot and is currently in the hospital.

Before his continuous run-ins with the law — his past charges in Colorado include criminal extortion, trespassing, assault, parole violations, and weapon offenses — Al Khammasi fled Iraq and was in Istanbul when he was granted refugee status by the Department of Homeland Security in 2012.

One of those felonies almost led to Al Khammasi being deported in 2016, according to the Associated Press, but the proceedings were ended due to an appeals court ruling that immigration law’s definition of violent crime was too vague.

We don’t know what specifically led to Al Khammasi fleeing Iraq. His Facebook profile lists friends and family members who still live in the Middle-East.

He flew to Chicago from Istanbul on Dec. 3, 2012, and within a year had his first arrest, according to the DHS.

Now, he’s facing another weapons charge and attempted first-degree murder for the shooting of Duzel.

Previous Story

The man accused of shooting Colorado Springs Police Officer Cem Duzel in the head Thursday morning has officially been charged with attempted first-degree murder.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office announced the charges Friday morning against 31-year-old Karrar Noaman Al Khammasi. Al Khammasi is in custody after Duzel was shot near Bonfoy and Boulder before 3 a.m. Thursday.

Duzel and several other officers responded to the area after multiple people called in reports of shots fired. That’s when they encountered Al Khammasi, and a shootout occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.

Duzel was still listed in critical condition Friday, though the police department said he had shown movement in the hospital. He underwent surgery Thursday morning.

Al Khammasi was also injured but was treated at the hospital. He was also charged with possession of a weapon by a previous offender and felony menacing. He has a history of felony charges in El Paso County and was due in court Friday for a previous charge he received in January of this year, of possession of a weapon by a previous offender. He couldn’t make that appearance due to being in the hospital.

That charge from January occurred while Al Khammasi was on parole. The Department of Corrections told KRDO NewsChannel 13 he served four months in prison, was paroled in April of 2016, and his parole ended in March of 2018.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said Al Khammasi was in jail from January 9 to March 14 for that possession by a previous offender charge.

Criminal defense attorney Jeremy Loew said Al Khammasi was allowed to be released, as his parole wasn’t keeping him in jail.

“Once his parole was finished in March, he was immediately eligible to post bond on any new cases and he can be released from jail, even on a new case,” Loew said.

Loew said the only ways to hold someone without bond is if they’re charged with a felony level one, like murder or kidnapping. People can also be held without bond if it’s a probation revocation or a parole violation.

“Otherwise, you’re presumed innocent and you have a right to be released with bond,” Loew said.

A prayer vigil for Duzel is scheduled to take place at 7:45 p.m. Friday at Boulder Park, 1210 E. Boulder Street.