EL PASO COUNTY — Crime tape that covers more than a block marks the scene of a shooting that left one person dead and sent four others to the hospital in an El Paso County neighborhood early Sunday morning.
According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was a juvenile.
Several 911 calls came to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) around 12:50 a.m. When deputies arrived in the Meridian Ranch subdivision near Falcon, they found numerous people with gunshot wounds. Five people were taken to the hospital.
The sheriff’s office said the victims were shot in the 12200 block of Point Reyes Drive. One person was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The person who died was identified as 17-year-old Caleb Nickerson by the El Paso County Coroner on Tuesday, February 7th.
The conditions and identities of the four other victims are not known at this time.
News5 obtained exclusive security camera footage from a nearby neighbor. The footage shows the exact moment that shots were fired on the house. That neighbor estimates seeing 40 people enter the house before they began to flee.
Another neighbor said incidents like this never happen in the area.
“All of a sudden we hear what we thought was fireworks at first but then it just kept going and louder..they were not fireworks..we heard three to four cars drive up or down the road…I went to my younger daughter’s room and one of those cars was stopped right here on my driveway," said Mike Leis.
He's particularly concerned because all of this happened outside his daughter's window. This violence, he says, could have a lasting impact on his family.
"My youngest, she’s 4, and was like ‘what happened to the shooting?’ That’s something you don’t hear a 4-year-old say! Obviously nerf guns, playing like that, but she’s not comprehending it. My son, he’s like ‘what do we do dad?’," continued Leis.
EPSO has not announced any arrests, but the sheriff’s office said they believe there are multiple suspects involved and the victims were targeted.
There is no word on what exactly led up to the shooting, but it could be linked to a carjacking that occurred Saturday in the area of Potter Drive, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators do not believe it was random.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Colorado Springs Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
If anyone has information regarding this case, you are urged to contact the sheriff’s office tip line at 719-520-7777 or you can report anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 719-634-7867.
In an effort to better understand crime in Southern Colorado. News 5 will continue to track homicides across Colorado in 2023 to provide a picture of violent crime trends across Southern Colorado.
