Good morning southern Colorado and here's what you need to know on your Tuesday, May 11.
If you'd like to read the full story, be sure to click on the story headline.
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Family member identifies six victims of shooting at birthday party in Colorado Springs
We now know the names of the 6 victims killed when a man walked into a birthday party inside a mobile home on Preakness Way and opened fire, before taking his own life.
CNN spoke with Freddy Marquez, a relative who was at the party Saturday night but left about two hours before the shooter arrived shortly after midnight. He says the birthday party was for his wife, Nubia, and her older brother, Melvin. The couple left about 2 hours before the shooting.
Marquez identified the victims as:
- Melvin Perez, would have turned 31, brother of Nubia and Jose
- Mayra Perez, 32, wife of Melvin
- Joana Cruz, 53, mother of Nubia, Melvin, and Jose
- Jose Gutierrez, 21, brother of Nubia and Melvin
- Sandra Ibarra, age unknown, sister of Mayra Perez
- Jose Ibarra, age unknown, brother of Mayra Perez
Colorado Springs Police will host a briefing today at 3:00 p.m. to officially release the names of the victims in Sunday's mass shooting on Preakness Way that claimed 6 lives.
News5 will carry the event live on our streaming channel KOAA News5, the News5 App, and on our social media platforms. We'll keep you updated within this story as well.
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Mental wellness: Support for first responders after response to tragedies
There is trauma after the fact for witnesses of a tragedy like the mass killing during a birthday party in Colorado Springs. The children who survived are with family and will be offered support. It is part of the job first responders signed up for, but they still have to cope.
Programs are fine, but you need staff willing to see a problem and accept some guidance when dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy. "We want to get in there and help people process these emotions, process the feelings, process the hurt, the grief, the fear,” said CSPD Wellness Sgt. Eric Frederic. “Get rid of the stigma and say this is okay, you're human."
A simple open dialogue with colleagues in the same section serves as a starting point for talking about things some may avoid discussing. If negative reactions persist there are psychologists under contract with the department. They are a free and confidential resource.
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FDA authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in 12 to 15-year-olds
The Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization to allow the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in teens as young as 12.
The two-dose vaccine had been authorized for those as young as 16. After clinical trials and research in those age 12 to 15, the pharmaceutical company asked the FDA to expand their emergency use authorization to allow the vaccine to be used in younger teens.
Adolescents between 12 and 15 will receive the Pfizer two-dose COVID-19 vaccine the same way those 16 and older do now; the shots will be given three weeks apart with the same dosage.
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The Rebound Colorado: Dairy business launches during pandemic
As we learned over the past year, it’s hard enough to keep a business open let alone opening a new business in the middle of a pandemic, but one business did just that and is thriving.
Sawatch Artisan Foods is finding its place up and down the Front Range.
“We are manufacturers of European-style butter, as well as some artisan cheeses,” co-owner and founder Jennifer Gomez said. Gomez and her husband have been in the dairy industry for years and their new company is based in Colorado Springs using cows from a Kansas farm.
They launched their business in April 2020 right at the beginning of the pandemic. They had to pivot their business model because they were originally going to rely on wholesale and restaurant customers, many of which closed for months.
They saw great success but are so happy their partners are starting to thrive once again. They are partnering with mom-and-pop retail shops and restaurants.
Gomez said they’re just getting started with plans to expand already in the works. They’re going to open a local processing facility where they plan to have cheese-making classes, retail space, and a rooftop patio for events.
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Get your latest First Alert 5 Weather forecast
We've got an active day of weather with areas of rain and snow through the morning and more moisture by the end of the day.
We'll be cloudy and cold all day with highs in the 30s and lower 40s. We'll see more light rain to snow showers from the late day through the early evening but any additional snow accumulation should stay at or below one inch in the Pikes Peak Region.
Expect cold and freezing overnight temperatures with lows in the 30s. Warmer air will move back in Wednesday afternoon with highs in the 50s.
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