Police arrest shooter at Colorado Supreme Court

The Colorado State Patrol said the incident began on Tuesday, shortly after 1 a.m., when 44-year-old Brandon Olsen was involved in a motor vehicle accident. He allegedly pulled a gun on the driver of the other vehicle and then broke into the building that houses the Colorado Supreme Court. Investigators say he then held an unarmed security guard at gunpoint and fired shots inside the building, as well as at police officers who arrived on the scene. He’s also accused of starting a fire in a stairwell inside the building. The building’s sprinkler system quickly extinguished that fire. Police took Olsen into custody when he surrendered himself about two hours later. No one was injured, but authorities said the building sustained “significant and extensive damage.”

Do the police know why he did it? Investigators are still trying to determine a motive, but there appears to be no connection to the Colorado Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding former President Donald Trump. Last month, the court issued a 4-3 ruling saying Trump’s name could not appear on the state’s primary ballots for the 2024 presidential election, per Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. That amendment states that any former government official who has engaged in an insurrection cannot again hold office without the approval of two-thirds of Congress. Since that decision, the justices have faced numerous threats. Trump is expected to appeal the justices’ decision.

Dig deeper: Read Erick Erickson’s column in WORLD Opinions calling the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump’s eligibility “foolish and unlawful.”