Student charged with murder in the deaths of 2 people found shot inside a university dorm
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) - A student of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, has been arrested and charged with murder in the deaths of two other students who were found dead inside a dorm room.
Nicholas Jordan appeared before a judge on Friday as he’s facing two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 24-year-old Samuel Knopp and 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery. Knopp was a senior at the university while Montgomery didn’t attend the school.
The bodies of Knopp and Montgomery were found on the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs campus on Feb. 16. Police initially responded to reports of gunshots just before 6 a.m., including one from a witness who reported the shooting took place inside his dorm pod.
Both 25-year-old Jordan and Knopp were reportedly roommates and residents of the dorm pod where the shooting took place. Montgomery’s connection to the two men has not been released, according to a spokesperson with the Colorado Springs Police Department.
While police secured the scene, it was noted that there were no signs of forced entry into the dorm pod, according to the arrest affidavit released Friday. Investigators confirmed Jordan had accessed the building just before 4 a.m. the day of the shooting and again at about 5:42 a.m. No other people had accessed the door overnight, the arrest papers said.
Surveillance video showed someone in dark clothing entering the building, the affidavit said, and the only key that had access to the pod that wasn’t accounted for during the police investigation was Jordan’s.
Jordan was identified as a suspect hours into the investigation, according to police, who obtained a warrant for his arrest later that day.
Police reported Jordan eluded officers until Monday morning when he was located in a vehicle a few miles from the campus. Members of the police department’s motor vehicle theft unit first spotted him and called for backup. He was taken into custody once a tactical team arrived.
In statements made in court on Friday, police said that Jordan had a fully loaded AK-47 in his vehicle the day he was arrested.
Arrest papers indicate that Jordan had a history of disputes with Knopp. The witness who reported the shooting told police there were “significant” issues and complaints about Jordan smoking marijuana and cigarettes, and his living area’s cleanliness, the arrest affidavit stated.
A witness told investigators there had been “multiple instances” where Jordan was reported for unsafe living conditions and smoking in the room. The witness added there was an argument between Knopp and Jordan in January over a bag of trash.
“Mr. Knopp collected [the bag of trash] and placed [it] near Mr. Jordan’s door,” the arrest papers read said of the reported incident in January. “Mr. Jordan threatened Mr. Knopp and told him that he would ‘kill him’ and there would be consequences if Mr. Jordan was asked to take out the trash again.”
The interaction was reportedly confirmed by the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Police, and Housing documents.
Jordan’s next court date is scheduled for March 27. He is currently booked in the El Paso County Jail. His bond was originally set at $1 million but it was raised Tuesday to $5 million. A mandatory protection order has been issued for Jordan and witnesses to the case.
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