x
Breaking News
More () »

Police increase patrols in University Hill after shootings

The deputy chief said the department is preparing to "throw the book" at the suspects in Sunday's shootout on the Hill.

BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder Police said they have increased patrols on University Hill in response to a "concerning" increase in gun violence in the area just off the University of Colorado campus.

Early Sunday morning, a Boulder officer fired his gun while responding to a shootout near The Sink, a popular off-campus restaurant. Officers took one suspect into custody and later released a photo of another person of interest.

RELATED: University Hill shooting captured on video

"We’ve already determined we have really good suspect information on the outstanding people, and we’re really working to bring a case to really throw the book at them, because we’re not going to accept this type of behavior here," Boulder Police Deputy Chief Stephen Redfearn said.

Officers then responded to the same location Monday night and arrested a man who they said shot a gun into the air at multiple locations around Boulder. Once again, students heard shots and saw a massive police response just steps from their apartments, fraternity and sorority houses.

RELATED: Man accused of firing gunshots in multiple Boulder locations Monday night

"It was incredibly concerning because we just don’t see that type of gun violence here in Boulder, historically," Redfearn said. "It’s still not an overwhelmingly crime-ridden area by any stretch of the imagination, but any weapons calls, any shots fired calls are very concerning."

He said crime on the Hill typically increases with students' return to CU, but this year BPD analysts have tracked an increase in calls about weapons and shots fired -- not just the normal disorderly conduct and noise complaints. 

He said detectives are trying to figure out the reason behind the increase in gun crime -- and have begun to ask suspects what draws them to Boulder. 

"Typically what we’re hearing from people is 'Oh, we came up here to party. We came up here to meet college girls.' Those types of things," he said. Access to firearms is another contributing factor, he said.

In addition to adding police patrols to the Hill, Redfearn said officers are continuing to work late in the neighborhood as part of a dedicated University Hill team, and he said each fraternity and sorority has a dedicated liaison officer.

Redfearn said he wants students to avoid blasting party invites out on social media and avoiding inviting people they don't know. He also said the police department is trying to work with the city to crack down on absentee landlords, which he hopes will help with larger, unregulated parties.

"We’ve heard loud and clear from parents, we’ve heard loud and clear from students, that they want to be kept safe, and that’s our main goal," he said.

SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS


Before You Leave, Check This Out