Samuel Knopp and Celie Montgomery: Student and mom of 2 found dead in Colorado dorm shooting identified
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO: On Sunday, February 18, the police identified the two victims who were shot dead in a dorm room at a university in Colorado.
They are still looking for the murderer, who was probably friends with the victims. When Samuel Knopp, 24, was found dead on Friday, February 16, authorities there recognized him as an undergraduate student.
Cops say shooting was 'isolated incident'
Knopp was a Parker resident who lived roughly 60 miles north of the University of Colorado's Colorado Springs campus.
Celie Rain Montgomery of Pueblo, roughly 45 miles south of the university, was also found dead in the Crestone House residence, according to Colorado Springs police.
A statement from the police department noted she was not enrolled at the university. The identities were provided by an autopsy from the El Paso County coroner's office, according to the police, who added that the cause and mode of death were still unknown.
Campus police received a report of gunfire at a dorm at 5.59 am on Friday, prompting the authorities to become aware of the deaths, according to the police department.
Around 6.05 am, officers discovered the two dead in a dorm room, per a previous statement from the police department.
Police stated that the deaths were being looked into as homicide cases in the interim, with a potential killer being someone the two knew.
"Investigative efforts so far continue to indicate this is an isolated incident between parties that were known to one another and not a random attack against the school or other students at the university," police said in their statement, as per NBC News.
Samuel Knopp's mom blamed attack on lax gun laws
The mother of Samuel Knopp, Amy Elswick Knopp, denounced the shooting on her Facebook page shortly after the campus was informed of the violence.
Amy blamed the attack on lax gun laws in a post dated Friday at 7.46 am, which appears to have been written before she was told her son was a victim.
She wrote online, "There were reports of an active shooter on campus at UCCS where our son, Sam, is a senior. 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."
"The campus is in lockdown and is now closed today. PLEASE EXCUSE MY LANGUAGE BUT IT'S THE GODDAMNED GUNS! This hits way too close to home and it makes me want to vomit. All the 'thoughts and prayers' in the world mean nothing without action to back them up," she added.
The university's alert log states that the campus was placed under lockdown for an hour until it was concluded that there was "no active shooter" involved in the incident. For over three hours, there was a shelter-in-place alert in effect.
The university closed over the weekend and canceled Monday classes to allow students to participate in a "day of healing" featuring a healing circle and walk.
