Colorado Springs Joint Investigation Media Release

Media Partners,

Below is the text found in the attached Joint Investigation Media Release

November 30, 2015 [5:00 PM]

We would like to offer our condolences to the families and the friends of the victims in last week’s horrific event.  The El Paso County Coroner’s Office has completed the autopsies on the three victims. The victims have been positively identified as:

Jennifer Markovsy, Date of Birth of December 22, 1979.  Her cause of death is from a gunshot wound and her manner of death has been ruled a homicide.

Ke’Arre Marcell Stewart, Date of Birth of February 9, 1986. His cause of death was from a gunshot wound and his manner of death has been ruled a homicide.

Garrett Swasey, Date of Birth of November 16, 1971.  His cause of death was from a gunshot wound and his manner of death has been ruled a homicide.

As part of the joint investigation neither the Colorado Springs Police Department nor the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office will release the names of the surviving victims, witnesses, and involved police officers pursuant to C.R.S. § 24-72-305(5).  At the present time disclosure of this information would be contrary to public interest because such release would be detrimental to the active and ongoing homicide investigation.  Additionally the release of the names of the victims, witnesses, and involved police officers would impact the privacy and safety of these individuals. 

Other items which cannot be released include information on any involved weapons to include those used by officers and the suspect, 911 emergency telephone calls, closed circuit surveillance footage, tactics or comments on tactics employed, equipment used by or available to tactical officers and patrol officers, comments or statements made by or attributed to the suspect, timelines regarding response and actions while on scene, and dispatch audio recordings.  Please note the dispatch audio currently being used by different media outlets was not provided by the Colorado Springs Police Department or the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.

During today’s video advisement the suspect was wearing a safety smock.  This smock is NOT a bullet proof vest but a standard jail issued item.

The suspects next hearing date will take place on Wednesday, December 9th, 2015, at 1:30 PM MST in Division 10.  The suspect is being represented by the Colorado Public Defender’s Office.

The Joint Information Center has been closed.  Any further questions can be directed to either the CSPD or EPSO public information officers.