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Suspect in Wheat Ridge cemetery shooting had argument before deadly altercation, affidavit states

Crown Hill Cemetery
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — A man arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a Wheat Ridge cemetery over the weekend was involved in an argument that quickly escalated as family and friends paid their respects to a victim of gun violence who died in 2022, an arrest affidavit released Monday states.

Ryan Trujillo-Falcon, 22, was arrested early Sunday after reportedly shooting a man in the chest who died at a hospital hours later.

Trujillo-Falcon had arrived at Crown Hill Cemetery at around 8 p.m. to pay respects to a friend who was fatally shot two years ago. While family and friends were gathered at the cemetery, the victim in the shooting had started to feel sick and needed to vomit. An argument ensued between the victim, Trujillo-Falcon, and another woman, according to an arrest affidavit in the case.

During the altercation, the woman reportedly punched Trujillo-Falcon in the mouth and a fight broke out between the trio. Trujillo-Falcon told deputies that at one point, the woman pulled him by the hair and while on the ground, Trujillo-Falcon “pulled out his weapon from his waistband and struck [the woman] in the head with the butt of the firearm,” arresting documents show.

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Man shot, killed visiting gravesite at Wheat Ridge cemetery Saturday night

Robert Garrison

Once on his feet, the suspect told the victim in the shooting to stop, but the suspect told deputies that while he didn’t see the victim carrying a firearm, he shot him once after the victim started coming toward Trujillo-Falcon.

Though he does not have a legal concealed carry permit, Trujillo-Falcon told deputies he started carrying a gun after the friend they were all visiting at the cemetery was killed.

The suspect, who ran away from the scene following the shooting, told deputies he took off his jacket and hid his firearm – a tan FN 45 Tactical handgun – by a tree.

When deputies arrived, they found the shooting victim and the woman, who was taken to Saint Anthony’s Hospital with a possible grazing wound to the head. Trujillo-Falcon was found not long after hiding near gravesites in the middle of the cemetery, according to the arrest affidavit.

He was taken into custody at around 12:11 a.m. Sunday, deputies said. Trujillo-Falcon was then taken to the Jefferson County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, second-degree assault, and unlawful possession of a concealed weapon.


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