Colorado Authorities: Heavily Armed Man ‘Committed Suicide’ Rather Than ‘Highly Likely’ Attack On Community

 Law enforcement officials in Colorado said this week that the 20-year-old Latino male who was found dead with a large number of weapons at an amusement park is believed to have committed suicide rather than carry out a potential attack.

The man was found with multiple firearms, a large quantity of ammunition, real and fake explosive devices, and was wearing body armor with a ballistic helmet. A bomb squad detonated the explosive devices at the park.

“Given the preparation, given the amount of weapons and the amount of ordnance he had it almost seemed highly likely that he intended to use those against the community,” Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario said at a press conference, according to CBS News. “We took notice right away. This wasn’t an ordinary potential suicide. This gentleman was carrying a large amount of weapons. And then subsequently we also found some explosive devices. Some of those explosive devices were fake but some of those explosive devices were also real.”

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are now assisting Garfield County with investigating the man to determine what might have been going on. Officials are looking at phone records, social media accounts, and talking with people who went to school with him.

“Speaking with family and doing a search on his room at his home, we don’t see any history, we don’t see any reason. We don’t see any motive,” Vallario said. “He was just completely under the radar.”

Some friends interviewed by CBS News said that he was quiet and kept to himself. The man’s brother told NBC News that he “wouldn’t talk to any of us.”

 

“I can tell you that when I first saw this, it was definitely a realization that this type of danger has come to quiet Glenwood Springs, Colorado and fortunately for whatever reason — we may never know — although he was very highly prepared, very highly weaponized, whatever his preparation was he chose instead, as we believe at this point, to commit suicide,” Vallario said.

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is located between Aspen and Vail along Interstate 70 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on a mountaintop setting overlooking the city, according to its website. The amusement park offers several attractions, including roller coasters, zip lines, a gondola, and mountaintop dining.