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DENVER — A closely armed man killed himself moderately than perform an obvious plan to shoot up a mountaintop amusement park in Colorado, authorities mentioned Monday.
The 20-year-old man was discovered lifeless in a rest room at Glenwood Caverns Journey Park by a upkeep crew on Saturday morning earlier than it opened to the general public, apparently getting into the park whereas it was closed. He was armed with an AR-style rifle, a semi-automatic handgun and explosives and was sporting physique armor and tactical clothes, just like what a police SWAT workforce member would possibly put on, authorities mentioned.
A message saying, “I’m not a killer, I simply need to get into the caves,” was written on a wall of the ladies’s lavatory the place the person was discovered mendacity on the ground, Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario mentioned. Close by was a handgun and explosive gadgets, some actual and a few faux, he mentioned. The AR rifle was on a counter close by together with an obligation belt holding a number of ammunition magazines.
Vallario couldn’t say for sure that the suspect left the message.
A number of improvised explosive gadgets have been discovered within the man’s car, police had mentioned. Authorities searched the remainder of the park for different explosives however advised no others have been discovered.
“Given the preparation, given the quantity of weapons and ordinance he had it virtually appeared very extremely seemingly he meant to make use of these towards the group. He selected to not,” Vallario mentioned.
The park would seemingly be crowded on a fall weekend throughout looking season when folks go to the mountains to see the altering autumn colours, Vallario mentioned. And given the park’s remoted location, which guests take a gondola to usually, it could have been tough to get any wounded to the hospital, he mentioned.
The person, whose title has not been launched, was from the close by city of Carbondale, the place he lived together with his mom and brother, Vallario mentioned. He had no identified prison historical past or prior encounters with legislation enforcement, the sheriff mentioned.
The weapons discovered on the suspect have been ghost weapons, which don’t have serial numbers and subsequently can’t be traced. The person’s clothes had patches and symbols that gave the looks of him being related to legislation enforcement.
A few of the suspected explosives turned out to be fakes — together with a number of that regarded like hand grenades — however others have been actual, the sheriff mentioned. Nevertheless, there was no proof to recommend that explosive gadgets had been positioned elsewhere contained in the park, he mentioned.
The park is positioned on a mountain above the Colorado River in western Colorado. Its points of interest embody cave excursions, an alpine coaster and a pendulum swing experience perched on the sting of a cliff that sends riders over the river canyon.
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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
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