BOULDER, Colo. — An armed man who was reportedly looking for a former romantic partner died by suicide after a four-hour standoff with members of the Boulder Police Department SWAT Team.
Around 11:36 a.m. Monday, Boulder PD received a call for a welfare check for a man with a gun who was threatening to shoot himself and others. Two hours later, the University of Colorado Boulder Police Department received a call from someone who saw a gun fall out of the pants of a man who was walking on campus. The man put the firearm back in his pants, ran to a vehicle and drove away, according to Boulder PD.
Both CU Boulder police and the CU Boulder campus issued emergency alerts and ordered students and staff to shelter in place if they were near the Parking Garage/Champion Center area shortly after 2:35 p.m.
CU EMERGENCY ALERT: Large police presence at Folsom Parking Garage/Champion Center. Avoid area. Shelter in place. More information to follow.
— CU Boulder Police (@CUBoulderPolice) February 24, 2025
CU Boulder PD officials later said they were "securing Folsom Garage," and advised students and staff to shelter in place if near the stadium. Emergency personnel was also responding, officials said.
Investigators connected the two phone calls and eventually identified the armed suspect, who had an active domestic violence protection order against him. Boulder PD learned the man was looking for a former romantic partner.
Just after 3 p.m., authorities pinned the man's vehicle on 40th Street just north of Table Mesa Drive. Boulder PD said officers ordered the man to drop a firearm he was holding but he refused.
The department's SWAT Team responded to the scene, and a shelter-in-place order was issued for a block east of Martin Park, located about three miles from the initial scene at CU Boulder.
We have issued a shelter in place to this shaded area. We have also activated SWAT to take an armed male into custody. Please avoid the area. This is connected to the initial incident on the @CUBoulder campus pic.twitter.com/HgUxEq0UU1
— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) February 24, 2025
SWAT officers talked with the man for more than four hours. However, around 7:15 p.m., the man died by suicide, according to Boulder police.
On Tuesday, the Boulder County Coroner's Office identified the man as 20-year-old Joshua Provenza.
According to Boulder Fire-Rescue, Provenza served as a probationary firefighter from August 2023 through March 2024. He was terminated in March 2024 after he "violated the Boulder Fire-Rescue Code of Ethics and department policy." The department did not provide further details about what led to his termination.
Boulder PD said its investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the department's tipline at 303-441-1974.
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