Police say armed man killed himself instead of carrying out apparent plan to attack amusement park

DENVER – A closely armed man killed himself moderately than raise out an apparent plan to shoot up a mountaintop amusement park in Colorado, his frame found out in a rest room subsequent to phrases scrawled at the wall, “I am not a killer,” government stated Monday.

Diego Barajas Medina, 20, used to be discovered useless in a girls’s rest room at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park by way of a repairs team on Saturday morning, ahead of the park opened to the general public. He died of a self-inflected gunshot wound to the top, Garfield County Coroner Robert Glassmire stated.

Medina it seems that entered the park whilst it used to be closed, armed with an AR-style rifle, a semi-automatic handgun and explosives and used to be dressed in frame armor and tactical clothes, identical to what a police SWAT staff member would possibly put on, government stated.

A message announcing, “I am not a killer, I just wanted to get into the caves,” used to be written on a wall of the toilet the place Medina’s frame used to be discovered mendacity at the ground, Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario stated. Nearby used to be a handgun and explosive units, some actual and a few pretend, he stated. The AR-style rifle used to be on a counter close by together with an obligation belt protecting a number of ammunition magazines.

Vallario may now not say for positive that Medina wrote the message.

There had been no prior indications, both at house or college, suggesting he used to be making plans an attack, Vallario stated. But the sheriff famous that investigators have now not carried out any in-depth interviews but. The FBI will assist evaluation Medina’s telephone data and social media postings as phase of the investigation, he stated.

“Given the preparation, given the amount of weapons and ordinance he had it almost seemed very highly likely he intended to use those against the community. He chose not to,” Vallario stated.

Multiple improvised explosive units had been discovered within the automobile utilized by Medina, police stated. Authorities searched the remaining of the park for different explosives however advised no others had been discovered.

Medina’s frame used to be got rid of Sunday after the scene used to be deemed protected, in accordance to the coroner.

The park most likely would were crowded on a fall weekend right through looking season when other folks pass to the mountains to see the converting autumn colours, Vallario stated. Given the park’s remoted location, which guests take a gondola to most often, it could were tricky to get any wounded to the medical institution, he stated.

Medina used to be from the close by the city of Carbondale, the place he lived together with his mom and brother, Vallario stated. In a listing of highschool graduates printed in a neighborhood newspaper in 2021, Medina stated he deliberate to paintings for a yr after commencement ahead of attending Colorado Mountain College, a neighborhood school with a number of places in western Colorado.

A seek of his room by way of legislation enforcement discovered not anything to point out explosives or bomb-making, and he had no identified felony historical past or prior encounters with police, the sheriff stated.

The guns discovered on Medina had been ghost weapons, which shouldn’t have serial numbers and due to this fact can’t be traced. His clothes had patches and logos that gave the illusion of Medina being related to legislation enforcement.

Some of the suspected explosives grew to become out to be fakes — together with a number of that gave the impression of hand grenades — however others had been actual, the sheriff stated. However, there used to be no proof to counsel that explosive units were positioned in other places within the park, he stated.

Investigators imagine Medina drove up to the park on a provider street.

The park, which is surrounded by way of state-owned public land, is on a mountain above the Colorado River in western Colorado. Its sights come with cave excursions, an alpine coaster and a pendulum swing experience perched at the edge of a cliff that sends riders over the river canyon.

No staff or guests had been on scene when Medina entered the park, in accordance to a remark issued Monday by way of Glenwood Caverns, and his frame used to be discovered out of doors of limited spaces the place rides are situated.

“This very sad and tragic incident reminds us how much our Glenwood Springs community means to us,” Glenwood Caverns General Manager Nancy Heard stated within the remark.

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The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can also be reached by way of calling or texting 988 or thru chatting at 988Lifeline.org.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

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This tale has been corrected to replicate that the quote from the message stated “wanted,” instead of “want,” and that Medina’s plans had been integrated in a listing of highschool graduates printed in a neighborhood newspaper, now not a yearbook.