Broomfield Police Release Suspect in Lakewood Agent's Death
Gabriel Garcia was let out of detention on October 20, weeks after being arrested on an active parole warrant.
By Martin Reynolds ·
The Broomfield Police Department confirmed on Monday that the man accused of killing a Lakewood police agent was released from the Broomfield Detention Center last month. Gabriel Garcia, 34, allegedly shot and killed Agent Nicholas Graham, 33, on an RTD bus near West Colfax Ave. and Wadsworth Blvd. on Thursday night. Three other agents and one bystander were also injured in the shooting.
Garcia was originally taken into custody on Sept. 28 following a hit-and-run collision. Broomfield officers stopped a truck involved in the crash and identified Garcia as one of four passengers inside. During records checks, police found an active no-bond warrant through Colorado Parole. Officers arrested him and issued a misdemeanor summons after he allegedly provided an incorrect name.
The detention center received an official hold from the Colorado Department of Corrections later that same evening. However, on Oct. 20, the facility received a release authorization form. The form directed Garcia's release and instructed him to report to the Westminster Parole Office on Oct. 21. This placement occurred less than six weeks before the fatal bus shooting.
A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Corrections stated that Garcia was released to mandatory parole supervision on Sept. 23, 2026. The agency confirmed he was under their supervision at the time of the incident. The department noted that Garcia was sentenced on April 22, 2026, in Adams County for First-Degree Criminal Trespass of an Inhabited Dwelling.
His sentence consisted of one year in the custody of the Colorado Department of Corrections followed by one year of mandatory parole. He received 149 days of credit for presentence confinement. Records from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation show a history of legal issues across the Denver metro area, including Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe, and Adams counties.
Garcia pleaded guilty to felony assault in 2017 and began serving a 10-year sentence. He returned to freedom in 2023 and accumulated new charges. Most recently, he was on parole for felony trespassing before his arrest by Broomfield police in late September. The Broomfield Police Department appears to be the last agency to arrest him prior to the shooting.
The timeline places his release on Oct. 20, with a required check-in at the Westminster Parole Office the following day. The shooting occurred on Thursday night, making the gap between his release and the incident less than two weeks.
