Suspect accused in Colorado Springs officer shooting made anti-police remark

The man accused of gravely wounding a Colorado Springs Police officer by shooting him in the neck was in court Wednesday.

Karrar Noaman Al Khammasi showed up for his preliminary hearing in a wheelchair. He was shot in the back on the night he’s accused of shooting Colorado Springs police Officer Cem Duzel. Al Khammasi is charged with attempted murder of a police officer, first-degree assault and menacing.

At first, Al Khammasi refused earphones from an Arabic interpreter but later accepted after the judge asked.

In court we learned new details about the night of the shooting. Witnesses say they saw Al Khammasi at Skybox Lounge and the Angry Pirate, both bars, before the incident.

We also heard from one of the first officers at the scene. He said that after the shooting, officers couldn’t understand anything Al Khammasi was saying until they were at the hospital. He says that’s where Al Khammasi made an anti-police remark.

The officer testified saying during the investigation they found several .40 caliber gun casings in a five-block radius.

Al Khammasi is set to appear back in court for arraignment in November.

Duzel is still recovering but has made steady progress since being in critical condition the day of the shooting. He has since been released from the Intensive Care Unit and is going through rehab at a Denver-area hospital.