Boulder police arrest Thornton man in Halloween shooting that killed CU student

Omar Perez was arrested Monday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder in the fatal Halloween shooting that killed a 19-year-old University of Colorado Boulder student. Perez, 18, of Thornton, was booked into the Boulder County Jail at 9:39 a.m. Monday. He faces one count of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, and one count of first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury with extreme indifference.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Luca Hanlon. Hanlon was pronounced dead at Boulder Community Health after being shot in the neck during the incident on Marine Street. Another 19-year-old male CU student was shot in the leg and remains hospitalized. Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn stated on Sunday that the killing marked Boulder’s first homicide of the year.

Police believe Perez was the only shooter involved in the incident. He is not a student at CU Boulder. The arrest was made with assistance from the Thornton and Westminster police departments and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. Perez is scheduled to appear for a hearing on advisement Tuesday afternoon in Boulder County District Court. Bail has not yet been set.

An arrest affidavit details that witnesses saw a man pull out a gun and fire three shots into a group of people at a party in the 700 block of Marine Street. One witness told police that Perez and a group tried to enter the house despite being told they could not. Most of the group was pushed out, but Perez remained inside. He ran toward the partygoers and was heard saying, “Oh, I could shoot this place up,” according to the affidavit.

The witness described putting Perez in a headlock and dragging him toward the door around 11:28 p.m. At that moment, Perez produced a gun and fired three times. Another witness confirmed seeing the same sequence of events. Perez was wearing a SWAT uniform and a mask from the movie “The Purge” when he ran out of the house. He approached the man shot in the neck and told him it would be OK, according to the affidavit.

Police identified Perez after a woman called the tipline. She said Perez and three friends visited her workplace in Broomfield earlier in the night. She recognized him because he was wearing the same outfit described by witnesses at the Marine Street party. Perez told her that he and his friends had been beaten at a party earlier that evening. The woman also stated that Perez had recently bought a 10-millimeter Glock “on the street” and posted a photo of it on Instagram, which was later deleted.

The woman told police that Perez had shot himself in the calf with a revolver in September. He dumped that firearm in bushes in Adams County before deputies located it. Police recovered several 10-millimeter bullet casings near the scene of the shooting in Boulder. Perez’s cellphone tracking data showed he was at the Marine Street location from approximately 11 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night, October 31.

Police had previously responded to the same house around 10 p.m. on Saturday to shut down the party for a noise violation. One resident estimated that as many as 800 people were present at the party’s peak. Most attendees left when police arrived, but a smaller group remained for the shooting. Police continue to investigate and are asking residents to help identify other individuals who were at the party.

Photos of those individuals are available on the city of Boulder website. Anyone who recognizes the people in the images should call the police at 303-441-3333 and reference case 26-10148. Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty wrote in a statement that his team will be relentless in the pursuit of justice as the criminal prosecution begins. If convicted, Perez could face a life sentence in prison for the first-degree murder charge.

Gov. Jared Polis posted on social media Monday morning to express his thoughts with the victims, their families, and the CU Boulder community. He noted that students and families deserve to feel safe in their communities, on campus, and wherever they gather. Redfearn added in a release that while the arrest restores some measure of safety, it will not bring back Hanlon’s life or undo the trauma the victims have experienced.