In Colorado, United States, a man was held after he broke into the Supreme Court overnight and opened fire inside the building.
The primary investigation “confirmed a high probability” that the incident is not related to “recent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court Justices,” the Colorado State Patrol said.
The break-in occurred at the Ralph L Carr Colorado Judicial Center, home to the state supreme court, just two weeks after a controversial 4-3 ruling to remove former President Donald Trump from Colorado’s 2024 ballot. The court cited the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban” as the ground for Trump’s ineligibility for office.
Law enforcement, including the FBI and Colorado police, had been investigating violent threats against the Colorado Supreme Court justices following their decision. Nevertheless, the recent break-in does not seem directly related to these threats. The incident unfolded at around 1:15 am (local times) and lasted for nearly two hours. The intruder surrendered to the police at 3am. There were no injuries reported, but the judicial center sustained “significant and extensive damage”.
The break-in was followed by a two-vehicle crash near the judicial center, during which one person involved, reportedly pointed a handgun at the other driver. This individual then shot out a window on the east side of the judicial center, gaining entry. Inside, the intruder confronted an unarmed security guard, took the guard’s keys at gunpoint, and proceeded to other parts of the building, firing shots on the seventh floor. Before the suspect surrendered, he called 911 and now faces unspecified charges.
However, authorities believe that the incident is not directly linked to the prior threats against the justices. Although, the names of the four judges involved in disqualifying Trump have surfaced in “incendiary” posts on extremist online forums.
The report warned of potential acts of violence by lone actors or small groups in response to the court’s ruling even though no specific threats against the judges were found in an analysis.