Trial date set for man accused of shooting Colorado Springs police officer
Karrar Noaman Al Khammasi was no longer in a wheelchair when he arrived in court Friday for his arraignment hearing — the man accused of shooting Colorado Springs Police Officer Cem Duzel only made two requests before learning when his trial would take place.
Al Khammasi faces charges of attempted murder of a police officer, first-degree assault, and menacing after Duzel was shot in the head following a disturbance call on Aug. 2.
He walked into court Friday with his beard and lips wrapped in a cloth guard; his hair was pulled tight into a knot in the center of his scalp, and he was clad in orange from the El Paso County Jail.
With the help of a court-appointed interpreter, he asked the court for an attorney and interpreter from the Iraqi Embassy to work on his case.
Judge Jann DuBois said he understood Al Khammasi’s request but told him that he was presently being represented by the Public Defender’s Office and that arrangements would need to be made.
After accepting Al Khammasi’s pleas of not guilty, a trial was tentatively set for May 13. The trial is expected to take about 10 days. He will next be in court for a motions hearing on March 8.
Duzel is still recovering from the gunshot and is undergoing rehabilitation therapy.
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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.
