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DHS had been warned about radicalized Muslim who allegedly murdered Denver officer
WASHINGTON - JANUARY 08: The Department of Homeland Security main complex is shown January 8, 2010 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered DHS to 'aggressively pursue' advanced screening technology and to fix gaps in the way intelligence is distributed, analyzed and compared to watch lists used to identify potential threats against the U.S. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

DHS had been warned about radicalized Muslim who allegedly murdered Denver officer

The awful murder of 56-year-old Denver transit officer Scott Von Lanken is made all the more worse after reports surfaced that the Department of Homeland Security had been warned about the alleged killer by members of his mosque.

The attack took place Tuesday when Joshua Cummings approached the uniformed transit officer as he was helping two women, according to police. Cummings reportedly told him, "Do as I tell you," and then fired a gun into his neck, fatally injuring him.

Police captured him blocks away and recovered a firearm.

Cummings is an Army veteran and a convert to Islam, but representatives of his mosque grew apprehensive of how radicalized he was becoming. They had sent a letter to DHS warning about Cummings in December.

Suspect Joshua Cummings, 37, attended a mosque event and raised red flags after expressing perceived extremist views and a willingness to "fight," according to the email that representatives of the mosque sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in December. It’s unclear when the mosque event occurred.

"He seems pretty advanced in his path of radicalization," the email warned DHS. "He also feels that it [is] okay to fight now (not jihad/struggle, but actually fight), here to establish the rule of Islam."

The letter concluded with details about how they were trying to pacify his radicalism with counseling from Imams, but it wasn't working. "He is not listening to reason."

Homeland Security confirmed in a statement that they had received the letter, adding, "It was immediately referred to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for review.”

Scott Von Lanken was a devoted husband who worked 65 hours a week "to provide for his family, including an adult daughter with disabilities," reported Kyle Clark of 9 News in Denver.

Von Lanken had also been a Christian pastor at an Assembly of God church in Loveland, Colorado, and later at a church in Ohio.

Cummings faces first degree murder charges according to ABC News, and will appear in court Friday.

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