As residents awoke to a chilly Sunday, some skateboarders arrived at the Memorial Park Skate Park wearing hoodies and carrying boards, ready to warm up.
A few had heard about the shooting Saturday night near the popular skate park, which left an adult and a juvenile dead and another teen hospitalized with critical injuries.
“I wasn’t sure if it would be open,” said one 13-year-old who said he’s a frequent user of the area.
After responding to a 911 call that came at 7:14 p.m. Saturday, Colorado Springs police said they found one juvenile dead and two people injured.
One of the injured, an adult, died at the hospital, police reported. The other juvenile remained hospitalized late Sunday.
Police didn’t release any additional information but said the department’s homicide and assault unit is investigating.
No arrests had been announced as of Sunday.
The well-used park is “usually a chill place,” the middle school student said Sunday morning. Fights sometimes erupt when one skater cuts off another, referred to as “snaking,” he said. Otherwise, it seems like a pretty safe place to be, the adolescent said, particularly in the daytime.
Older teens tend to use the park after dark, he added, when tempers and other situations can flare. The area was the site of a 2015 shooting that left a 14-year-old middle school student dead over a dispute about a missing cellphone.
Riccardo Clinton Kirven was convicted in 2017 on all charges involved with first-degree murder and sentenced to two life terms plus 48 years in prison.
The 40,000 square foot skate park in Memorial Park off East Pikes Peak Avenue and South Union Boulevard includes amenities such as bowls, a street course, backyard-style pool, a unique "hole-in-the-wall" feature and two vertical ramps, according to the city's tourism agency. There is also an events plaza with a picnic pavilion and natural boulders for seating.
Police are asking anyone who saw or knows what happened Saturday to call them at (719) 444-7000, or via the anonymous Pikes Peak Area Crime Stoppers, (719) 634-7867.
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