\- Prof. Jonez©\
05-11-2005, 01:59 PM
Looks like the chickens came home to roost for this
abusive Denver Cop, eh?
'He shot the officers'
Suspect confessed to gunning down pair, his girlfriend says
By Fernando Quintero and Sarah Langbein, Rocky Mountain News
May 11, 2005
The girlfriend of a man accused of killing one Denver detective and wounding
another says he made a bedside confession to her just hours after leaving a
baptismal party that ended in bloodshed.
Sandra Rivas, who hoped to marry the father of her 3-week-old daughter, said
Tuesday that suspect Raul Garcia-Gomez admitted to shooting the officers and
pleaded for forgiveness before fleeing their home.
Rivas told the Rocky Mountain News that she sensed something was wrong with
Garcia-Gomez, 19, when the pair returned home from the party early Sunday.
At 5 a.m., she finally asked what was wrong.
"He said, 'I'm going to tell you. Please forgive me.' And then he told me he had
shot the security officers," Rivas said. "I told him he had to turn himself in."
The news of an alleged confession capped off a day of developments that began at
a 3 a.m. news conference, where bleary-eyed police announced they had a suspect
in the Sunday shootings of detectives John Bishop and Donald Young, who later
died.
Denver Police Division Chief Dave Fisher said an anonymous tip to the
CrimeStoppers line on Monday morning led investigators to Garcia-Gomez, who
police believe may have fled the state.
Authorities are focusing their attention on Las Vegas, Nev., and Los Angeles,
where Garcia-Gomez has family and friends. Police are also concerned he may try
to cross the border into Mexico, where he was born. The suspect has no known
relatives there, but authorities have obtained a federal warrant accusing him of
unauthorized flight to avoid prosecution.
As officers across the country remain on the lookout, Denver cops are anxiously
awaiting a second tip that will lead them directly to the alleged killer.
"He is treacherous, and he will not go easily," Police Chief Gerry Whitman said.
"That's what I predict."
Eviction and then rage
On their final night together, Rivas and Garcia-Gomez celebrated the baptism of
her infant cousin at Salon Ocampo, a banquet hall on West Mississippi Avenue.
The couple danced to the music of her uncle's band, Grupo Cautivos, and feasted
on chicken mole.
"We had all gone to the party together," said Rivas, 18. "It was thrown by my
uncle, so we were all invited. At one point, he (Garcia-Gomez) left the party. I
went to look for him when I noticed he had been gone awhile. I just figured he
had gone home."
Rivas' mother, Rosalva, said the music and dancing had ended when shots rang
out.
"We were eating cake," Rosalva Rivas said. "We heard gunshots. People ran and
screamed and gathered in a corner away from the front entrance, where the shots
were fired. I looked for my children. That's the first and only thing that came
to my mind."
Sandra Rivas returned to her family's home on South Vrain Street around 1:30
a.m. Sunday. Garcia-Gomez walked in about a half-hour later, looking sad and
nervous.
Her boyfriend confided in her before dawn, she said.
"It turned out security didn't let him back in," Rivas said. "He tried to get in
with my brother and my cousin. He said his wife and daughter were inside the
hall, but they still wouldn't let him in. He tried to force his way in when one
of the officers grabbed him by the neck and the arm. I guess that got him angry.
I don't know."
abusive Denver Cop, eh?
'He shot the officers'
Suspect confessed to gunning down pair, his girlfriend says
By Fernando Quintero and Sarah Langbein, Rocky Mountain News
May 11, 2005
The girlfriend of a man accused of killing one Denver detective and wounding
another says he made a bedside confession to her just hours after leaving a
baptismal party that ended in bloodshed.
Sandra Rivas, who hoped to marry the father of her 3-week-old daughter, said
Tuesday that suspect Raul Garcia-Gomez admitted to shooting the officers and
pleaded for forgiveness before fleeing their home.
Rivas told the Rocky Mountain News that she sensed something was wrong with
Garcia-Gomez, 19, when the pair returned home from the party early Sunday.
At 5 a.m., she finally asked what was wrong.
"He said, 'I'm going to tell you. Please forgive me.' And then he told me he had
shot the security officers," Rivas said. "I told him he had to turn himself in."
The news of an alleged confession capped off a day of developments that began at
a 3 a.m. news conference, where bleary-eyed police announced they had a suspect
in the Sunday shootings of detectives John Bishop and Donald Young, who later
died.
Denver Police Division Chief Dave Fisher said an anonymous tip to the
CrimeStoppers line on Monday morning led investigators to Garcia-Gomez, who
police believe may have fled the state.
Authorities are focusing their attention on Las Vegas, Nev., and Los Angeles,
where Garcia-Gomez has family and friends. Police are also concerned he may try
to cross the border into Mexico, where he was born. The suspect has no known
relatives there, but authorities have obtained a federal warrant accusing him of
unauthorized flight to avoid prosecution.
As officers across the country remain on the lookout, Denver cops are anxiously
awaiting a second tip that will lead them directly to the alleged killer.
"He is treacherous, and he will not go easily," Police Chief Gerry Whitman said.
"That's what I predict."
Eviction and then rage
On their final night together, Rivas and Garcia-Gomez celebrated the baptism of
her infant cousin at Salon Ocampo, a banquet hall on West Mississippi Avenue.
The couple danced to the music of her uncle's band, Grupo Cautivos, and feasted
on chicken mole.
"We had all gone to the party together," said Rivas, 18. "It was thrown by my
uncle, so we were all invited. At one point, he (Garcia-Gomez) left the party. I
went to look for him when I noticed he had been gone awhile. I just figured he
had gone home."
Rivas' mother, Rosalva, said the music and dancing had ended when shots rang
out.
"We were eating cake," Rosalva Rivas said. "We heard gunshots. People ran and
screamed and gathered in a corner away from the front entrance, where the shots
were fired. I looked for my children. That's the first and only thing that came
to my mind."
Sandra Rivas returned to her family's home on South Vrain Street around 1:30
a.m. Sunday. Garcia-Gomez walked in about a half-hour later, looking sad and
nervous.
Her boyfriend confided in her before dawn, she said.
"It turned out security didn't let him back in," Rivas said. "He tried to get in
with my brother and my cousin. He said his wife and daughter were inside the
hall, but they still wouldn't let him in. He tried to force his way in when one
of the officers grabbed him by the neck and the arm. I guess that got him angry.
I don't know."
