Dispatch audio from deadly Colorado dorm shooting reveals responders ‘not sure’ if gunman was still at large

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Dispatch audio details first responders’ arrival at University of Colorado shooting

Colorado Springs Fire and EMS was unsure how safe the scene was. (Audio credit: Broadcastify | Image credit: Amy Elswick Knopp via Facebook)

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First responders rushing to reports of gunshots inside a dorm room at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs were “unsure” if the scene was stable or if they were running into an active shooter situation.

“Engine 9 responding to 4645 Clyde Way UCCS Alpine Village for gunshot victims,” authorities are heard saying in Colorado Springs Fire and EMS dispatch recordings reviewed by Fox News Digital.

“Engine 9 to dispatch. It’s going to be in room 108 on the first floor, and PD is enroute. … I’m not sure if the scene is safe yet.”

That was shortly before 6:30 a.m. on Friday. Two days later, the victims were identified as Samuel Knopp, a 24-year-old student at the university, and Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, who wasn’t a student.

On Monday, Colorado Springs police said Nicholas Jordan was arrested as a suspect in the case.

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Sam Knopp, 24, is pictured in a “Son’s Day” tribute post by his mother on Facebook. (Amy Elswick Knopp/Facebook)

Knopp’s mother’s Facebook post the day of the shooting mirrored the first responders’ uncertainty about what was going on at the upperclassmen’s dorm.

“There were reports of an active shooter on campus at UCCS where our son, Sam, is a senior,” Knopp’s mother wrote on Facebook at 10:46 a.m. on Feb. 16.

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“At least one person is dead. I haven’t heard from Sam. He lives in Alpine Village, where residents were told to shelter in place.”

About 30 minutes later, she updated her post, which was filled with well-wishes, and said one person was killed.

“Authorities are now saying there is no threat,” she said, but noted the large police presence outside her son’s dorm. 

Sam Knopp’s mother wrote this message before she learned her son was killed in the Feb. 16, 2024, shooting. (Amy Elswick Knopp/Facebook)

Sam Knopp was a 24-year-old senior and musician at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs when he was fatally shot on Feb. 16, 2024. (UCCS Music Program/YouTube)

A little after 2 p.m. she wrote, “Nothing official, but I have heard that a woman was shot and killed in Sam’s dorm …”

At that point, neither Knopp’s mother, nor any of her friends and family asking if Sam was OK, knew the 24-year-old musician was killed. After police announced Knopp was killed, she stopped responding, and her timeline flooded with condolence messages.

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She was proud of her son, always posting pictures of Sam on “Son’s Day” as well as his twin sister on “Daughter’s Day.”

“Happy Son’s Day, Sam!!! I love you to the moon and back (thought Son’s Day was in March but hey, it’s all good),” she wrote in a post with his picture. 

He was a senior and a “beloved member of the Visual and Performing Arts department,” Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet wrote in an email to students. “He was an accomplished guitar player and an extremely talented musician.”

His junior recital is on the university’s music department’s YouTube page, where his talent and humor were on display.

FULL VIDEO (Fast forward to about 22-minute mark to watch Knopp rock out)

The other victim was identified as Celie Rain Montgomery, 26. She wasn’t enrolled at the university, according to law enforcement, and they didn’t elaborate on her connection with Knopp, if there was one, or why she was in the dorm. 

Jacquie Higinbotham, one of Montgomery’s extended relatives, said she was a single mother of two young children. 

“Please send prayers for my family. Celie Montgomery, one of the victims of this shooting, was my cousin’s daughter,” Higinbotham wrote on Facebook. “She was the single mom of two young children. 

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“My cousin must now deal with mourning the loss of her daughter (as a mom of two daughters I can’t even imagine how painful that must be) while also being strong for her grandkids who now have no mom.” 

“And my 87-year-old uncle — in his worst nightmares he probably never thought he’d be saying goodbye to his granddaughter. This is all so horrible. You never think it’ll happen to your family until it does. Please prayers for my cousin Melody and her husband, my Uncle Larry, and Celie’s 5 and 7 year old little ones.”

Celie Montgomery, 26, was fatally shot at Colorado University at Colorado Springs on Feb. 16, 2024. (Celie Montgomery/Facebook)

Suspect in custody calms the community’s nerves

Police said they arrested Nicholas Jordan early Monday morning in connection with the double homicide. 

He was spotted at 7:52 a.m. on Monday in a car, and the department’s tactical team responded in force and arrested the suspected gunman at 8:37 a.m. 

He will be charged and processed in the El Paso County Jail, according to police, which soothed the angst among parents and students, including Tara Sparks, who spoke to Fox News Digital. 

“There is a sense of relief in knowing the suspect is in custody, but there’s a bigger picture that needs to be addressed,” said Sparks, whose daughter is a freshman at the university. “Our children need to be able to go to school, to better themselves, without the worry of something bad happening. And unfortunately, that is not the world we live in.”

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“Let’s hope that UCCS takes this situation and takes the initiative to place the safety of the students and staff into its highest regard,” Starks said.

Fox News Digital’s Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.

Chris Eberhart is a crime and US news reporter for Fox News Digital. Email tips to chris.eberhart@fox.com or on Twitter @ChrisEberhart48.