Pueblo man allegedly shoots two men, killing one, all while out on parole
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- While on parole, a Pueblo man was allegedly responsible for two shootings, one of which was fatal. Court documents obtained by KRDO show that 31-year-old Nicholas Tumblin was able to avoid jail time after numerous arrests.
According to court documents, Tumblin was arrested in 2014 in El Paso County for prohibited use of a weapon. He was later arrested in 2017 in Fremont County for the distribution of a controlled substance.
His most recent arrest was just a little more than two weeks before the shootings. On September 13, Tumblin was arrested for a parole violation, a charge that typically results in 180 days or six months in jail, according to Colorado Springs lawyer Jeremy Loew.
However, according to the arrest affidavit, Tumblin was released from a Pueblo County Jail on September 24, just 11 days after the arrest.
On September 27, Tumblin allegedly shot and killed 36-year-old Eric Trujillo on 3rd St. near downtown Pueblo. An hour and 47 minutes later, he allegedly shot the owner of Sancho's Bar and Grill, Adam Niederstadt.
"This guy gets out and then 11 days he is back out on the streets and he shoots me and kills another guy," Niederstadt said. "With parole, they need to tighten up their ship, because it is not what it used to be. Might as well not even have parole."
Neiderstadt was rushed to the hospital that morning and was in critical condition. Since then, he has been released from the hospital.
"I had died twice. I wake up out of a coma for two days. I woke up and they tell me sign your life right here, you've got twenty percent chance of living, and eighty percent chance of dying," he said.
Now, many are left asking why Tumblin was released only 11 days after a parole violation arrest.
"It's very unusual for someone to be released after only 11 days. Parole has the ability to hold somebody for the remainder of their parole, so if someone commits a new offense or they abscond, usually they are put on what is called a parole hold," Jeremy Loew said.
For victims like Niederstadt, he is upset that a repeat offender can be back out on the streets.
"Parole is to help people get adjusted to society you know what I mean, and they are not helping these guys by just turning them loose again."
Tumblin is currently being held in the Pueblo County Jail on a one-million-dollar bond after the U.S. Marshals Service found and arrested him in Raton, New Mexico on October 6.
