http://www.denverpost.com/ci_6388583

Quote :

"Troopers kill man in Capitol By Mike McPhee Denver Post Staff Writer Article Last Updated: 07/16/2007 03:08:21 PM MDT A man lays on the floor at the state Capitol after troopers shot him, saying he had threatened office staff members on July 16, 2007. (Brian Brainerd | The Denver Post)State troopers shot and killed an unknown man who attempted to enter Gov. Bill Ritter's office inside the state capitol this afternoon. The man, who claimed he was "the emperor," said he was going to take over the state government. Ritter was in his office at the time but was not involved in the shooting at about 2:25 p.m. today. State troopers, who provide security inside the statehouse, ordered the man to drop his gun. He didn't and they shot him. The man died where he fell. "He said that he was the emperor and he was here to take over state government," said Gov. Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, who added he did not witness the shooting. The man's identity has not been released. Neither Ritter nor anyone else was Art Mendoza, 44, and his wife Rosa Moreno, 28, both of Los Angeles, were touring the Capitol. They were on the second floor when they heard three shots fired. Rosa looked down and saw a person falling to the ground. Moreno said that when she first heard the shots, she thought it was staged for the tour. Then she looked toward the sound. "I saw the back of the guy as he fell down," Moreno said. "I just saw him drop." A group of people on a tour of the capitol building saw a man in a tuxedo kneeling in the hallway praying. a few minutes later, they heard someone yell "You're going to pay for this, you (expletive)." The group of 12 to 20 people then heard gunshots and afterward many of them were in tears. Some of them were crouched on the floor hugging each other. Denver police have responded to the scene, as have Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Rep. Edward Casso, D-Commerce City, said he was returning to his third floor office from lunch when he heard the commotion. Looking down from the second floor, Casso saw a man lying in pool of blood, with blood splatters behind him. The Colorado State Capitol (Post file)as a white male, 30 to 40 years old, about 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighing about 225 pounds. Casso said the man was dressed in black or blue slacks and a white shirt. He said 10 to 15 state troopers had secured the area around the governor's office and one of them "was visibly shaken," he said. Republican Senators Mike Kopp of Littleton and Andy McElhany of Colorado Springs were meeting in the senate minority offices when they heard about four loud bangs. They thought the sounds were from construction work. Then a staffer burst into the room and told them there was a shooting. "Your mind immediately races to the other tragedies that have taken place," Kopp said. Both senators were certain that security at the Capitol security would become part of the political debate next session. They said that after Sept. 11, 2001, metal detectors were placed in the Capitol, but were removed after about a year when members of the House and Senate decided they were not necessary. Sen. Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, said it is the first time she is aware of any security breach during her nine years at the Capitol. She said she would not seek security changes, in terms of installing metal detectors at the doors: "It would really make me sad if we had to shut down buildings." She added: I still don't feel threatened. I can't be intimidated by feeling that someone is going to come into the Capitol and put my life at risk." Denverpost.com will update this story as quickly as information becomes available"

7/16/2007 5:21:59 PM

Dang I didn't know salisburyboy lived in Colorado.

7/16/2007 5:25:44 PM

wild

i'm glad they haven't released his name...he doesn't deserve the fame although all the cable news channels will be obsessed with this story for the next week or two, I'm sure

7/16/2007 5:26:16 PM

^^ before i even read the first 3 paragraphs, i was thinking

"i wonder which TWW user/alias was this guy..."

7/16/2007 6:29:39 PM

7/16/2007 6:43:08 PM

hmmph.

some emperor.

if he really wanted to be emperor he would have gotten a contingent of the palace guards to join his cause before laying claim to the crown.

dumbass.

7/16/2007 6:48:53 PM

^^that dude's talkin to his girlfriend about what's for dinner

7/16/2007 6:51:09 PM

Seems like suicide by cop.

7/16/2007 7:30:02 PM

Quote :

"A group of people on a tour of the capitol building saw a man in a tuxedo kneeling in the hallway praying. a few minutes later, they heard someone yell "You're going to pay for this, you (expletive)."

Terrible journalism.... so many questions unanswered:


(1) was the shooter wearing a Tuxedo?

(2) what was he praying for?

(3) in this situation, who's going to pay for blood/bullet damage to a rental tux?

(4) did the shooter yell "you're going to pay for this you _____ ?"

(5) who's going to pay?

(6) what is the "this," for which they must pay?

(7) how much must they pay, and in what currency?

(8) what was the expletive used?








[Edited on July 16, 2007 at 7:46 PM. Reason : ]

7/16/2007 7:36:52 PM

State troopers, who provide security inside the statehouse, ordered the man to drop his gun.


He didn't and they shot him

7/16/2007 7:39:32 PM

well, thank you sir, for that late-breaking summary of the obvious.

please let us know if you have any more news flashes to interpret.

:rolly:

7/16/2007 7:41:06 PM

Godspeed You Black Emporer

7/16/2007 8:15:37 PM

Can we call this an attempted coup. It sounds more exciting that way.

7/16/2007 8:36:59 PM

sounds like a good clean kill

7/16/2007 9:12:21 PM

Quote :

"Moreno said that when she first heard the shots, she thought it was staged for the tour."

WTF?


Let's stage a fake death to entertain the tourists...brilliant!

7/17/2007 9:25:12 AM