COLORADO SPRINGS — It's been one year since 19-year-old Brandon Harris took his own life after running from Colorado Springs Police officers into the Burlington Coat Factory inside the Citadel Mall.
Family and friends of Harris gathered outside Colorado Springs City Hall on Wednesday night to remember him and the tragic, yet complicated, circumstances surrounding his death.
Colorado Springs Police said officers located Harris in a stolen vehicle on April 3, 2023. Police said Harris had an active felony arrest warrant for a parole violation and was armed with a handgun. CSPD said Harris met up with another stolen vehicle, which had four people inside. Police said Harris and the other vehicle traveled to the Citadel Mall on the southeast side of the city.
Police said the group went inside the mall and later exited near the food court. With help from CSPD's Tactical Enforcement Unit, officers were able to detain four of the individuals, but said Harris ran back inside the mall with a handgun.
CSPD said Harris fired one shot at officers and struck a mop on a nearby shelf. Police said one officer fired three shots at Harris but did not hit him. A few seconds later, body camera video provided by police shows the moment Harris shoots himself in the head.
During Wednesday's vigil, members of the Colorado Springs People's Coalition (CSPC) called on police to use more deescalation techniques.
“CSPD escalated a dangerous situation, chased Brandon guns drawn into the Burlington Coat factory and proceeded to open fire," said Brandon Rincon, the Chair of CSPC.
Brandon Harris' father, Anthony Harris, echoed those concerns.
“I understand they [police] have a hard job, but if they wouldn’t go in with guns blazing I think that the whole situation could’ve ended and had a better outcome," said Anthony.
Other family members at the vigil said they were simply there to remember Harris' life and were not calling for change within the police department.
News5 reached out to CPSD to ask what the department's policy is for chasing a suspect. A CSPD spokesperson said the department does not have a specific policy on foot pursuits, but has several policies that broadly address how officers are to enforce the law while balancing public safety interests during efforts to take a person into custody.
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