Re: Colorado Supreme Court shooting suspect had used fentanyl and was experiencing hallucinations before attack, affidavit says

On 20 Feb 2022, Lefty Lundquist <[email protected]> posted some
news:[email protected]: 

> The doper state gets a kick in their drug-addled asses.

The man accused of firing shots and setting a fire inside the Colorado 
Supreme Court building earlier this month used drugs and was experiencing 
hallucinations before the incident, a police affidavit says.

The shooting happened on January 2 after 1 a.m., when police say a suspect 
who fled a two-car accident scene shot out a window of the Ralph L. Carr 
Colorado Judicial Center and went in, according to a news release from the 
City of Denver. Police say the man forcibly took keys from an unarmed 
security guard, fired shots in the building and set a fire in a stairwell.

Brandon Olsen, 44, surrendered at the scene almost two hours after the 
vehicle crash, authorities said. According to a probable cause affidavit 
from police, Olsen told police that prior to the shooting, he had taken 
several Fentanyl pills and smoked methamphetamines. The document says 
Olsen indicated he had a history of drug abuse and relapse.

Olsen has been charged with first-degree arson, aggravated robbery and 
second-degree burglary, according to court records obtained by CNN. All 
are felonies.

His preliminary court hearing is scheduled for February 20.
Olsen, who lives in Arizona, drove to Denver on New Year’s Eve to visit 
his teenage son, the affidavit says.

Before the incident, Olsen was driving his car and “felt like police were 
chasing after him” after he had taken the drugs, he told detectives in an 
interview, according to the document.

“He attempted to evade these people by driving faster but he could not 
lose them,” it says. “At one point while in downtown Denver he crashed his 
car into another car at an intersection.”

After the crash, Olsen grabbed his Taurus 9mm pistol from the back seat of 
his car and ran towards the nearby state Supreme Court building, firing a 
shot at a window and crawling through the broken glass to gain entry, the 
affidavit says.

Olsen then grabbed keys from a security guard and accessed several floors 
and the building’s roof using the stairwell and a master key, the 
affidavit says.

While on one of the higher floors, Olsen used his lighter and paper to 
start the fire, later telling detectives he decided to do it “because he 
thought people were after him,” the affidavit says. At that point, the 
smoke was billowing, so he fired several shots into the building’s glass 
windows to clear some of the smoke, it says.

After starting the fire and noticing a police presence outside of the 
building, Olsen called 911 and then walked outside, where he was taken 
into custody by police, the affidavit says.

Olsen acknowledged to detectives he believed he was hallucinating, saying 
he had never had the experience before, according to the document.

Police took Olsen to a hospital for evaluation before questioning because 
he complained of chest pains, the document says.

CNN has reached out to Olsen’s attorney for comment.

The downtown building – which houses the state’s Supreme Court, Colorado 
Court of Appeals and other judicial agencies – had just two people in it 
at the time of the incident, authorities said.

The security guard was sitting alone at the information desk before 
investigating a noise, the affidavit says. The guard then was held at 
gunpoint by the suspect while trying to use a key to open a door for the 
pistol-wielding man, according to the court document.

The other person in the building who is mentioned in the affidavit is a 
woman who was working in an office. She told detectives she left when she 
heard the fire alarm and said she didn’t witness the shooting or fire.

Police said no one was injured during the ordeal, but “there is 
significant and extensive damage to the building.”

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/colorado-supreme-court-shooting-suspect-
had-used-fentanyl-and-was-experiencing-hallucinations-before-attack-
affidavit-says/ar-BB1hw2fL