An investigation into February’s shooting at a University of Colorado Colorado Springs housing unit outlined 13 recommendations on how campus might improve public safety. Two people were killed after a roommate allegedly opened fire in his dorm room Feb. 16.
The recommendations include improving the tracking of concerning behavior from a single student, increasing training for faculty, staff and student resident assistants and reviewing the campus's overall Emergency Operations Plan.
“It is my sincere hope that through the release of this report, we are all ultimately able to take another step toward healing, as individuals, and as a university community,” said UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet at a press conference Thursday.
The trial for the alleged shooter, Nicholas Jordan, has yet to begin. The 25 year old is accused of killing roommate Samuel Knopp and a woman from off campus, Celie Montgomerie. Authorities say there were multiple complaints about the suspect’s behavior leading up to the shooting, including a threat to kill Knopp in a dispute over taking out the trash.
Conflicts between the suspect and Knopp were known to campus officials before the attack and “staff…offered alternative housing multiple times to the roommates,” according to Sobanet.
She said neither Jordan nor Knopp took the opportunity to move.
Sobanet noted that the investigation, led by former Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and former U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn, found no university employee was responsible for policy violations in the runup to the shooting.
“We have staff members and faculty members here who carry guilt to this day,” Sobanet said. “And it is important to acknowledge that there is ultimately one individual responsible for these crimes.”
The university said it has been conducting its own reviews of campus safety procedures in addition to the independent investigation. Officials say the school has already implemented some of the new report’s recommendations.
