COLORADO SPRINGS (Scripps News Colorado Springs) — A judge has ruled there is enough probable cause to send the alleged UCCS shooter’s case forward to a potential trial.
Nicholas Jordan is accused of killing two people inside a UCCS dorm room earlier this year. A preliminary hearing was held Tuesday where prosecutors laid out more evidence in the case.
Nicholas Jordan enters court Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (Scripps News Colorado Springs)
Prosecutors called UCCS Police Officer D’Mellow to the stand. He was one of the first officers to arrive on the scene when the shots fired call came in just before 6 a.m. on Feb. 16.
Officer D’Mellow said he and other officers entered the dorm room around 6:10 a.m. He said he saw Samuel Knopp lying on the floor with abdomen injuries and Celie Montgomery lying on the bed, also with abdomen injuries. He said they both looked pale and had no pulse.
Officer D’Mellow said a female witness in another room said she heard a loud bang and a scream. The officer said a roommate living in the suite where the shooting happened said he heard about nine gunshots.
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Detective Matt Kerr testified that Giancarlo Argueta told him that he, Knopp and Jordan all lived in a dorm room suite together.
Kerr said Argueta recalled issues living with the suspect, including him smoking marijuana in the room, playing loud music, and a lack of cleanliness. Argueta said in January a fight over taking out the trash ended with Jordan telling Knopp he was going to “kill him.”
Kerr said the incident was reported to the university and campus police. The detective said Argueta and Knopp both began applications to move to a new place on campus.
On the morning of the shooting, Argueta told Kerr he woke up to gunshots. He said he then heard footsteps running away.
Detective Crofoot testified there was no forced entry into the suite or individual room where Knopp and Montgomery were found dead.
Crofoot said police recovered 11 shell cartridges in Knopp’s room. Crofoot said Jordan’s room was empty and none of his personal belongings were there.
Crofoot said investigators are still trying to figure out why Montgomery, the second victim, was in the dorm room. She was not a UCCS student and her relation to Knopp is still unknown. He said her only personal belonging in the room was a makeup bag.
Crofoot said Knopp was shot eight times and Montgomery was shot four times. He said key card time logs for the apartment showed Jordan entered the building about 20 minutes before the first 911 call.
Crofoot interviewed the suspect after he was arrested a few days after the shooting. He said the suspect initially said he wasn’t in Colorado Springs on the day of the shooting. He later admitted to entering the apartment building that day to “use the bathroom.”
Jordan’s defense attorney said there is a lack of eye-witnesses in this case and that no one saw the shooting happen. The detective confirmed that.
In closing, prosecutors said the suspect planned the shooting and withdrew from classes the day before it happened. The defense claimed there’s not enough evidence to move forward.
The judge in the case ruled there is enough probable cause to send the case forward to a potential trial. Jordan is expected to enter a plea during his next court hearing on Oct. 25.
This story was originally published by Scripps News Colorado Springs, an E.W. Scripps Company.
