Suspect arrested in Colorado Springs university shooting that killed Pueblo woman, Parker man
A University of Colorado at Colorado Springs student has been arrested following an alleged double homicide in a campus dorm room on Friday, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Nicholas Jordan, 25, of Detroit, Michigan, is suspected of two counts of first-degree murder. One of the two people killed in the alleged murders was a 26-year-old woman from Pueblo.
The two victims were identified by the El Paso County Coroner's Office as Celie Rain Montgomery of Pueblo and 24-year-old Samuel Knopp of Parker.
University spokesperson Jenna Press confirmed to the Chieftain Tuesday that Jordan was a UCCS student at the time of the shooting.
UCCS police initially responded to the scene after receiving a call of shots fired just before 6 a.m. Friday. The call came from Crestone House, a dormitory located on the campus.
UCCS police officers located the room from which the shots originated and located an adult female and an adult male, both of whom were deceased.
Jordan and Knopp were roommates, Ira Cronin, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department, confirmed to the Chieftain. "Other aspects of their relationship (are) tied to our ongoing investigation, and we won’t be revealing that at this time," Cronin said.
University police requested assistance from the CSPD's homicide unit, which took over the investigation from university police. A warrant was obtained Friday evening charging Jordan with two counts of first-degree murder.
Jordan was located in a vehicle and arrested Monday morning without incident in the 4900 block of Cliff Point Circle East, just a few miles from the university.
He is currently being held on a $1 million bond in the El Paso County Jail.
Jordan appears in court
During an advisement hearing Tuesday afternoon in which Jordan appeared virtually while in custody at the El Paso County Jail, an attorney for the Fourth Judicial District Attorney's Office asked that his bond be modified to $5 million cash-only, noting that he believed that Jordan, who he reiterated was not from Colorado, posed a major flight risk and a danger to the public.
Nick Rodgers of the Colorado State Public Defender Office asked that the issue of bond be preserved until a later date, which Judge Shannon Gerhart granted. However, Gerhart advised Jordan that a mandatory protection order is in place, ordering that he cannot have contact with, harass, or intimidate any witnesses or victims in the case. Gerhart also ordered Jordan to surrender his passport if he has one.
Rodgers also asked for the arrest affidavit, which is currently sealed, to be released to the public defender's office but to remain sealed to the public. Meanwhile, the deputy DA stated the DA's office would have no objection to unsealing the affidavit to the public. Gerhart stated she would leave any further unsealing of records to the judge who will preside over the case moving forward.
Campus mourns shooting victims
The university was closed over the weekend and classes were canceled Monday, but dozens of people participated in a memorial walk honoring the victims, as reported by USA Today.
"Sam (Knopp) was a senior studying music and a beloved member of the Visual and Performing Arts department. He was an accomplished guitar player and an extremely talented musician," said University Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet in a university-wide email Monday. "Celie (Montgomery), although she was not a student, will be mourned by our campus community."
Sobanet emphasized that investigative efforts so far "continue to indicate this is an isolated incident between parties that were known to one another and not a random attack against the school or other students at the university. "
"I know we are all mourning, so please, remember that you are not alone. The entire Mountain Lion community is here to support you," she said. "Tomorrow, we will take our first steps, processing and mourning along our healing journey. I encourage you to set aside time to process the tragic events of this past week, both as an individual and in a group setting."
Montgomery was a student in the Pueblo Community College culinary arts program for one semester in the fall of 2020, Amy Matthew, a spokesperson for the school, told the Chieftain.
“The Pueblo Community College family extends heartfelt condolences to the family of former PCC student Celie Montgomery, as well as to the family of Samuel Knopp," PCC President Patty Erjavec, said in a statement. "These deaths, and the ensuing unimaginable pain, are happening much too often in an environment where teaching and learning should be our only concern.”
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
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This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo woman identified as victim in alleged Colorado Springs murder
