Dear UCCS community, 

This morning, the Colorado Springs Police Department released the identity of the suspect who fired shots on the UCCS campus on the evening of Jan. 12. The suspect is a former UCCS student who was not enrolled at the time of the incident. You can see the CSPD update here.

UCCS will continue to collaborate with the Colorado Springs Police Department as the investigation continues. Additional university updates on the incident are available and will be updated as needed here. 

If you or someone you know needs mental health or wellness support, you can connect with resources on campus. Our campus has experienced tragedies of this nature in the past, and this incident might be particularly upsetting to those impacted by past events. We encourage you to reach out.    

• Students: The Wellness Center remains open and ready to assist. Walk-in hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For appointments, call 719-255-4444.
  • The TELUS Health app continues to be your access to mental health services free of charge, 24/7, available in multiple languages. Please download the app “TELUS Health Student Support.” 
  • View a list of additional student resources.   
• Faculty and Staff: The Veterans Health and Trauma Center (VHTC) has immediate openings available, free of charge to you. Call (719) 255-8003 to schedule an appointment.
  • View a list of additional faculty and staff resources.  
  • Wellness Center case managers to consult about finding resources are on standby to serve the campus community. Please call the Wellness Center at 719-255-4444 if you need to consult about community resources. 

When will campus updates on this incident be provided? 

The Colorado Springs Police Department is leading the incident investigation, and UCCS is supporting their efforts. We will follow their direction regarding release of information, so that we do nothing to compromise their work.  

Why was the campus open and then closed? 

Following the incident, campus remained open after the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed the assailant fled campus and completed an extensive search of buildings door-to-door, as well as via drone. As the investigation continued the following morning, the CSPD was able to inform us of the connection between the suspect and the campus. Due to this relationship a decision was then made to close the campus as an extra safety measure.

Why were some buildings locked down but not others?  

While some buildings did lock their doors out of an abundance of caution, no part of campus was ever under an official lockdown on the morning of Jan. 13. An official lockdown takes place when a criminal element is believed to be on the premises, and officials expect that remaining in place will minimize the risk of exposure to danger.    

What mental health resources are available?  

• Students: The Wellness Center remains open and ready to assist. Walk-in hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. For appointments, call 719-255-4444. The TELUS Health app continues to be your access to mental health services free of charge, 24/7, available in multiple languages. Please download the app “TELUS Health Student Support.” View a list of additional student resources here.   
• Faculty and Staff: The Veterans Health and Trauma Center (VHTC) has immediate openings available, free of charge to you. Call (719) 255-8003 to schedule an appointment. Wellness Center case managers to consult about finding resources are on standby to serve the campus community. Please call the Wellness Center at 719-255-4444 if you need to consult about community resources. View a list of additional faculty and staff resources here.

I didn’t get the alerts. How can I sign up?  

• Student UCCSAlerts Registration 

Students MUST use their MyUCCS Portal to register their mobile phone number for text alerts, but may register non-UCCS email addresses, and parent/spouse/additional cell numbers using rave.uccs.edu.  This link connects to an authorized and secure Rave Mobile Safety portal where you can complete your updates.  If you have questions or concerns regarding the security of this portal, please contact Emergency Management at 719.255.3106, or via email at eprepare@uccs.edu 

To access the option to register a mobile number via the student portal, log in to your My UCCS Portal, click Students —> Records & Registration —> Access Student Self-Service —> Personal Information —> Use the drop down menu on the lower left to select Phone Numbers —> Enter your mobile phone number 

• Faculty, staff, and affiliate UCCSAlerts Registration 

Faculty, staff, and other UCCS affiliates with a uccs.edu account can register their mobile device(s) for text alerts, or register a non-uccs email addresses, by visiting rave.uccs.edu. This link connects to an authorized and secure Rave Mobile Safety portal where you can complete your registration and updates to your contact information.  If you have questions or concerns regarding the security of this portal, please contact Emergency Management at 719.255.3106, or via email at eprepare@uccs.edu 

• Visitors, parents, etc.  UCCSAlerts Registration 

Visitors and parents can register for temporary alerts by texting UCCSAlerts to 67283.  You will have the option to renew the alerts after 90 days. If you have questions or concerns regarding the security of this portal, please contact Emergency Management at 719.255.3106, or via email at eprepare@uccs.edu 

As per the campus alert, UCCS is closing today due to an investigation following an on-campus incident.

When the campus is closed, all classes are canceled except asynchronous online courses. Asynchronous online courses will follow the course syllabus.

Synchronous online, in-person, hybrid and hyflex courses are canceled.  

When there is a campus disruption, the recommendation for faculty teaching in-person, hybrid, hyflex, and synchronous online courses is to extend deadlines for assignments and exams due in Canvas as students may rely on campus or other closed locations for internet and computer access. Please work with students whose circumstances may vary and support their ability, as you see appropriate, to complete assignments and exams when impacted by a campus closure.

We understand this is disruptive and potentially upsetting. Please refer to the campus messaging for information about resources for faculty, staff, and students.

Dear UCCS community, 

Last night, campus police responded to a report of shots fired outside Antero Hall. A student was involved in an altercation with a suspect who fired multiple shots. The student was not injured and the suspect fled campus. The Colorado Springs Police Department, who have been informing campus decisions throughout this incident, now have a suspect in custody. The campus is closed for the remainder of the day.  

Members of the faculty will receive a separate update from the Academic Affairs team shortly. Vice Chancellors and Deans will be connecting with their divisions and colleges.  

Campus Resources

If you or someone you know needs mental health or wellness support, you can connect with resources on campus. Our campus has experienced tragedies of this nature in the past, and this incident might be particularly upsetting to those impacted by past events. We encourage you to reach out.  

• Students: The Wellness Center remains open and ready to assist. Walk-in hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For appointments, call 719-255-4444. 
• The TELUS Health app continues to be your access to mental health services free of charge, 24/7, available in multiple languages. Please download the app “TELUS Health Student Support.”
• View a list of additional student resources.  
• Faculty and Staff: The Veterans Health and Trauma Center (VHTC) has immediate openings available, free of charge to you. Call (719) 255-8003 to schedule an appointment.  
• View a list of additional faculty and staff resources.  
• Wellness Center case managers to consult about finding resources are on standby to serve the campus community. Please call the Wellness Center at 719-255-4444 if you need to consult about community resources.  

How You Can Help 

If you have any information that may be helpful to this investigation, please contact the University Police Department at (719) 255-3111, by email at police@uccs.edu, or in person at the Department of Public Safety located inside the Gateway Hall building. You may also contact the Colorado Springs Police Department by calling 911. If you do not feel comfortable reporting directly to law enforcement, you may use the university’s online anonymous reporting option here. 

We are committed to keeping the campus community informed. As updates are available, they will be shared at alerts.uccs.edu and via email.  

Campus is closing on 1/13/26 due to an investigation following an on-campus incident. Check alerts.uccs.edu for updates.

UCCS is working on a wildfire mitigation project with CSFD.  Starting around March 4 they will be working on the trail areas at the top of the bluff (see map for section 6).  Trails in these areas will be marked (see attached) and they will be closed.  

CSFD has been working on section 1.  Eventually they will move to sections 3 and 4 – the timing of this is uncertain.

Please observe all warning signs and stay off closed trails.

If you have questions, please reach out to eprepare@uccs.edu

To access the above PDF in a separate tab please click here.

We encourage parents and friends to utilize the UCCSSafe App to receive emergency notification alerts sent out by the campus.  The app can be downloaded from either the apple store or google play.

Dear UCCS Community,

The Colorado Springs Police Department has shared the name of the suspect they took into custody in connection to their investigation of the shooting that took place on our campus Friday morning. The suspect was enrolled at UCCS at the time of the shooting. I am including their announcement in full below.

I would like to once again extend my thanks to the Colorado Springs Police Department for their efforts, as well as the UCCS Police Department and everyone across campus who have stepped up to help during our incident response.  

We will continue to work closely alongside CSPD as they proceed with their investigation. 

On Friday, February 16, 2024, at approximately 5:59 AM, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Police Department received a call of shots fired coming from Crestone House, a dormitory located on the campus. UCCS PD Officers located the room shots originated from and located an adult female and an adult male deceased. The Colorado Springs Police Department received a call for assistance, resulting in the CSPD Homicide Unit assuming responsibility for the investigation. 

Late in the evening on Friday, February 16, 2024, the Homicide Unit obtained an arrest warrant for the charges of two counts of Murder in the First Degree for 25-year-old Nicholas Jordan of Detroit, Michigan. Since the warrant was signed, the CSPD’s Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force has been actively looking for Mr. Jordan. 

On Saturday, February 17, 2024, the El Paso County Coroner’s Office conducted an autopsy of the deceased female and male. The female was identified as 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery of Pueblo, CO. The male was identified as 24-year-old Samuel Knopp of Parker, CO. While the Coroner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death, Ms. Montgomery and Mr. Knopp’s deaths are being investigated as homicides. 

On Monday, February 19, 2024, at approximately 7:52 AM, members of the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Motor Vehicle Theft Unit located Mr. Jordan in a vehicle. At approximately 8:37 AM, the CSPD’s Tactical Enforcement Unit responded and took Mr. Jordan into custody without incident in the 4900 block of Cliff Point Circle East in Colorado Springs. 

This is still an active investigation, and anyone with information or who is a witness to this investigation is asked to call the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 444-7000; or if you wish to remain anonymous, you may contact the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at (719) 634-STOP (7867) or 1-800-222-8477. 

Thank you all for your compassion and support during this incredibly difficult time. 

In solidarity, 
Jennifer SobanetChancellor

Full Email

Dear UCCS Community,
The Colorado Springs Police Department has shared that they have taken a suspect into custody in connection to their investigation of the shooting that took place on our campus Friday morning. I am including that announcement in full below. 

I would like to express my deepest gratitude for the tireless work of the Colorado Springs Police Department and the UCCS Police Department. We will continue to work closely alongside CSPD as the investigation continues to unfold. 

CSPD has reiterated that 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. 

On Monday morning, February 19, 2024, members of the Colorado Springs Police Department took a suspect into custody in connection to our investigation into the homicides of 24-year-old Samuel Knopp and 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery. 

Investigative efforts continue to indicate this was an isolated incident between individuals who were known to one another and not a random attack against the school or other students at the university. 

We will be releasing more details about the suspect and charges later today. 

The university will continue to share information as we are able. 

I appreciate your continued patience, understanding and support of one another as we begin to process together as a campus. 
In solidarity, 
Jennifer Sobanet Chancellor

HEALING RESOURCES

Information can be found here as well as resources for students, faculty, and staff support available now and ongoing.

https://www.uccs.edu/alpine-village-incident