Arrest affidavit sheds light on what led up to deadly Colorado Springs gas station shooting

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The arrest document for the defendant in a murder two weeks ago indicates that he now faces three additional charges including menacing, prohibited use of weapons, and reckless endangerment.

In the document released Friday, the Colorado Springs Police Department's investigation shows that just before the shooting, the murder victim -- Jeremy Diaz, 36 -- was behind defendant Brian Alford, 25, in the cashier's line inside the Kum & Go store on Hancock Expressway, near the Academy Boulevard intersection.

According to the document, Diaz was in line with his 12-year-old son when Diaz and Alford had an unspecified argument, during which both men stepped out of line and continued their argument inside the main doors.

A Kum & Go employee tried to break up the argument, the document explains, followed by Alford pushing Diaz, and Diaz charging toward Alford when Alford pulled out a handgun.

In the struggle, the document states that Alford reached around the store employee and fired several shots at Diaz, killing him.

The investigation shows that Alford then calmly walked past Diaz's son, got into Alford's vehicle parked just outside the main doors, and drove away.

Detectives said that evidence in the case includes four bullet casings and two bullets from the scene; one bullet stuck the cashier counter and barely missed striking a cashier working there.

Police said that they identified the vehicle by viewing video from the store's surveillance cameras; six days after the murder, investigators found a car matching the description of Alford's vehicle in Memorial Park.

Officers said that they received a search warrant to place an electronic tracker on the vehicle, followed it for several days, and ultimately determined that Alford was living in the vehicle.

On Monday, according to the document, police contacted a woman who'd had a prior relationship with Alford and was the victim of a domestic disturbance in early July, during which officers responded and arrested him on charges of resisting arrest and assaulting an officer; he was released from jail after posting a $2,000 bond.

The woman told officers that Alford had several handguns, including one he carried around his waist and another he kept under the driver's seat of his vehicle.

Based on that evidence, authorities arrested Alford Wednesday and prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder and the crimes listed above; the document doesn't reveal the location of the arrest.

The document states that Diaz had lived in Colorado Springs for a time but recently moved to Ohio; he and his wife were in town for a wedding on the day of his murder, and to visit some of his other children.

According to the document, the couple and Diaz's 12-old son had originally planned to stop at a Taco Bell to eat, but changed their minds and opted for snacks at the Kum & Go, instead; Diaz's wife was putting gas in the family's car when the incident happened.

Alford is in jail without bond until his scheduled court appearance on Sept. 19.

Police were unavailable for comment about the new details Friday.

KRDO has reached out to Diaz's family to share any information about who he was as a person.