Man faces three counts of attempted murder following Thursday shooting in Glenwood Springs
Man fired more than 50 rounds at police, others during residential eviction proceeding
Courtesy photo
A man suspected of shooting over 50 rounds at police officers and others Thursday morning faces three felony counts of attempted murder and additional charges, a Friday Glenwood Springs Police Department news release states.
Glenwood Springs resident Craig Allen Robbins, 44, was arrested around 12:50 p.m. Thursday after a standard civil eviction turned into an hours-long standoff in the 1000 block of Riverview Drive. The situation resulted in one person suffering a gunshot wound and being treated at Valley View Hospital.
Glenwood Springs Police Chief Joseph Deras reported that soon after Robbins was contacted for a civil eviction shortly before 11 a.m., an emergency call was reported of shots fired. Soon after, Robbins fired upon an officer on patrol in the neighborhood.
“The Officer made a U-turn and arrived within seconds,” Deras said in the release. “As he arrived, the suspect began firing on him.”
The officer narrowly escaped injury despite his vehicle being struck twice by large-caliber bullets, the release states.
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“Had (the officer) not reacted as quickly as he did, he likely would have been shot as the rounds passed through the passenger compartment and impacted the helmet on his seat,” Deras said in the release. “A second officer arrived on an adjacent street, and he was also fired upon.”
The situation then escalated into nearly a two-hour standoff, with Robbins barricading himself inside his residence while holding a female hostage. Another witness escaped unharmed and sought shelter with law enforcement.
“The witness/victim in the home was safely rescued and distraught to the point where she was unable to communicate and initially provide police with a statement,” Deras said in the release.
Deras said in the release the situation, though originally reported as an active shooter in the traditional sense, changed when Robbins barricaded himself in the residence and held a female against her will.
Numerous regional law enforcers were dispatched to the area. Assets deployed included a BearCat armored vehicle from the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office and a defense vehicle from Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.
Negotiators established communications with Robbins and he eventually surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody, the release states.
Investigators would later discover several homes in the neighborhood had bullets travel through their interior. A stray bullet struck a child’s box spring.
“Investigators recovered several handguns, a shoulder fired weapon and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition,” Deras said in the release.
Stray bullets were also recovered from the Veltus Park area near a woman and small child, the release states.
“The unique and violent nature of this event affected many in our community,” Deras said in the release. “This includes the victims who were physically harmed, the police officers who were very close to being shot and/or killed, the patrons in the park and the nearby residents.”
Deras also said the community should find solace in seeing the overwhelming response and restraint by “your highly-trained first responders from everywhere in this region.”
“There are too many entities that responded to name individually,” he said. “But we must extend our gratitude to each of them.”
