Like He Was Having a Stroll in the Park': Witnesses Describe Gunman's Deadly Rampage in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (TheBlaze/AP) — Witnesses on Sunday described a terrifying scene on the streets of Colorado Springs, where a man armed with a rifle marched down a city street in broad daylight and shot and killed three people before being fatally shot in a gun battle with police.

Authorities have released few details about Saturday morning's shooting. The suspect has not been identified, and police are looking for a motive.

A neighbor, Teresa Willingham, said she and her 7-year-old son heard three loud gunshots and saw a bicyclist lying face down in the street, his legs mangled and still intertwined in his bike.

"His last words were 'Please God, no,'" she said. "He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Image source: KKTV-TV

A neighbor, Naomi Bettis, who lives across the street, said she saw a man in a green jacket with a rifle, walking down the street. She saw him go into a house, and come out with a gun. She said the man headed down the block, and a bicyclist came up.

Bettis said the bicyclist begged for his life, but the gunman started shooting.

Bettis said the bicyclist collapsed outside a house. She later placed a bouquet of flowers, a candle and a note where the bicyclist was slain, saying "My thoughts are with you. Praying for the family. I'm sorry for your loss."

Matthew Abshire, who lives nearby, told The Associated Press that he heard gunshots, looked out his window and saw a man firing a rifle. He waited for the gunfire to subside before he came outside and started chasing after the gunman, who had a rifle in his right hand and a revolver in his left. Abshire stayed about 30 yards behind him until he said the gunman turned and aimed the gun in his direction, prompting him to dive onto a porch to hide.

"He walked calmly and collectedly. His demeanor was like he was having a stroll in the park," Abshire said.

Abshire continued walking behind the man, who he said abruptly fired at two women on the porch of another house which is a home for women in recovery. A woman sitting on a bench was shot as well as another one who was standing next to her, Abshire said.

"It looked totally random," he said.

He rushed to help them, using his shirt as a tourniquet. He said one of the women had no pulse.

When help arrived Abshire took off after the gunman again but was stopped by police, but he could still see the gunman fire at a patrol car, breaking its window before officers shot him outside a Wendy's.

Image source: YouTube

Police say they spotted the gunman several blocks away, where a shootout erupted. Photos show a window in the back of a police car that had been shattered by gunfire. Police on Sunday asked residents to help them look for damage to homes and property that might provide more evidence.

Alisha Jaynes told KKTV-TV she was at an ATM when she saw a man with a gun walking calmly down the street.

“Me and my son were at the 7-Eleven using the ATM…as soon as I walked outside I heard six gunshots up the street. … We see the cop cars swarm in,” Jaynes told the station. “I saw the guy with the gun just walking with the gun in his hand. … Just calm, standing there with a gun in his hand.”

“They yelled, ‘Put the gun down,’ and he turned around, and that’s when they shot at him a good 20 times,” witness Aaron Nicks told KKTV. “There was a lot of gunfire.”

Nicks added to the station that police "definitely" did the right thing by shooting the gunman.

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