Colorado Springs police say the 28-year-old suspect in a shooting that killed six at a Colorado Springs mobile home park overnight Saturday appears to have been angry over not being invited to the family gathering he attacked.
The gunman, Teodoro Macias, killed himself after shooting his victims, police said at a press conference Tuesday. They said that Macias also displayed controlling and jealous behavior toward his girlfriend, Sandra Ibarra-Perez, one of the victims in the shooting.
Police said the man and Ibarra-Perez had been in a relationship for the last year.
“This behavior, in particular, was most obvious with trying to isolate her from her family and making efforts to prevent her from attending family events,” Colorado Springs Police Department Lieutenant Joe Frabbiele said.
Mayor John Suthers said the killings are the single deadliest shooting event in the city’s history. Six people died in an ax attack in 1911. Police confirmed the victims as members of two families gathering for a combined birthday party on Saturday night. The police department provided their names:
- Sandra Ibarra-Perez, 28 years old
- Jose Ibarra, 26 years old
- Mayra Ibarra De Perez, 33 years old
- Melvin Perez, 30 years old
- Jose Gutierrez, 21 years old
- Joana Cruz, 52 years old
Three children ages 2, 5 and 11 were also at the party and were believed to have been near the room where the shooting took place. One adult in the mobile home at the time of the attack was able to escape the residence unharmed. Three teenage family members had left the home moments before the shooting to retrieve something from a neighbor.
“We've got children orphaned by this situation and we've got an incredible number of families adversely impacted and that, in turn, impacts the community,” Suthers said.
Officers said there were no domestic disturbances reported between the suspect and Ibarra-Perez prior to the weekend shooting, and that the man had no previous criminal record. Police also said there was no protection order keeping him from contacting Ibarra-Perez.
Police said the handgun allegedly used in the killing was purchased by someone other than Macias in 2014. An investigation into how the he got the firearm is ongoing, but officers said the weapon has not been reported stolen.
Editor’s Note: CPR News includes the name of an alleged shooter only when it is critical to the story.
