Author: KRDO

Mackenzie Stafford

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – On July 7, a father was shot and killed in El Paso County. The sheriff’s office was searching for four masked suspects and announced on July 22 that an arrest had been made.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPSO) says that on July 16, 18-year-old Damonte Linwood was arrested in Aurora on charges of second-degree murder and robbery in connection with this case.

Linwood is currently being held at the Aurora Detention Center on a $500,000 bond, according to EPSO. KRDO13 requested additional information on Linwood’s arrest; however, the court told KRDO13 his arrest record is currently sealed.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sheriff’s office seeks public help after man shot to death in Cimarron Hills area

Just after 1 a.m. on July 7, EPSO says 39-year-old Michael Fell was shot and killed by masked intruders in a friend’s home. Deputies say in the initial investigation, they determined at least four masked individuals entered the residence and stole items from the occupants in an apparent robbery before fleeing the area.

Fell was a son, a brother, and a father. The night he was killed, family said he was playing poker with friends. His mother, Kathy Seylaz, previously spoke with KRDO13 through tears about the unexpected loss of her son.

“You never expect to lose your children before yourself,” Seylaz said. “I think the first thing that went through my mind was: can’t be Mikey. You know, they have been mixed up with somebody else. It can’t be my Mike.”

Seylaz emphasized her son’s character, stating he was not involved in criminal activities.

“He wasn’t a drug dealer. He wasn’t a gangster. He was just there playing poker. I can’t see why anybody would want to hurt Michael. He was a happy, lighthearted, kind person,” shared Seylaz.

Seylaz is calling for justice on behalf of her son.

“I know what it feels like to be the mom who loses your child,” Seylaz said. “And if they can just break into somebody’s home and randomly shoot people, those people need to be brought to justice, so no other family goes through what we’re going through. I know that somebody somewhere has to know something.”

EPSO continues to investigate the killing and urges anyone with information or relevant security camera footage near the 2300 block of Reed Grass Way to contact them.

“This arrest marks an important step in the pursuit of justice for the victim and their loved ones. I want to commend the outstanding work and collaboration of our investigators and Fugitive Impact Team, the Aurora Police Department, the Arvada Police Department, and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force. While an arrest has been made, this remains an active investigation, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure everyone responsible is held accountable through the judicial process,” wrote El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Fell’s family.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Like the Grinch, Racers at Betty Krouse Park will grow to three times their size and waddle the best they can to the finish line in a fun-filled race benefiting the Alzheimer’s Association.

The 2nd Annual Blow-Up Race is a collaboration between three senior caregiving groups: BrightOn Hospice Services, Able Care Mobile Therapy and Cornerstone Caregiving.

The race is $35 per participant. Runners have to bring their own blow-up suit. Registration includes post-race Ice Cream and beverages. Individual and team category winners for best time and best costume win a trophy. Registration fees benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

The event is from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 2415 E Cache La Poudre St. (Betty Krouse Park).

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Our dry weather isn’t good for vegetation or the fire risk, but it has meant better progress on construction projects.

Two projects in particular started Monday of last week and should be completed by the end of Wednesday, according to Dan Gerhard, a county public works engineer.

Those projects couldn’t be more different.

Crews are repaving a quarter-mile of Industry Road — which is on the line dividing the county and the Colorado Springs city limits — between Marksheffel Road and Capital Drive.

Daytime traffic has been open only to local and business-related traffic, managed by flaggers at both ends.

It’s more than a routine repaving job, as crews are doing a complete rebuild by removing the underlying base and the old asphalt.

“I don’t think it was built with the intent that all of the heavy truck traffic would be on it initially,” Gerhard explained. “And then just over time, all that truck traffic just wore the pavement down. So, we figured we might as well just rebuild it to give it a brand new life.”

Crews have also waterproofed a bridge over a drainage channel.

Industry Road dates back to the 1990s and is aptly named for the industrial businesses lining both sides.

The second project is on 1.5 miles of Loy Creek Road, near the Teller County line, just outside Woodland Park.

Repaving is particularly challenging because it’s a steep, winding, narrow road at an elevation of nearly 9,000 feet.

The road connects at both ends to Rampart Range Road, which is even more mountainous — and full of potholes — than Loy Creek Road.

“They also had to prep the detour route because it is a gravel road for part of the detour,” Gerhard said. “So, we told the Forest Service that we would clean up that road before we put all the detour traffic on, and also to make the detour smoother and a little more enticing to drive on.” 

Meanwhile, just south of the Industry Road project, Colorado Springs crews are performing maintenance on a bridge across the same drainage channel, between Constitution Avenue and Capital Drive.

Workers are repairing and waterproofing the bridge deck there.

The schedule for that project was unavailable Tuesday, but drivers should be aware of lane closures and other traffic impacts.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

Now that the World Cup is over, the Switchbacks don’t know what to do with their free time, “It’s sad that it’s over. It’s kind of like, what do I do when I get home?” says Switchbacks forward, Jonas Fjeldberg.

Khori Bennett adds, “It’s just silence right now. I’m trying to figure out what to do next. After the final, I was like, oh, what’s next? I don’t know what’s next.”

The next World Cup will be played in 2030 and Khori Bennett is hoping his home country of Jamaica will qualify, “I have it written, you know, in my bathroom. It’s a long term goal.””

The Switchbacks believe that what their native lands learned from attending the World Cup is not to believe what’s written about the United States, “The problem for me when I go home has been having to explain that America is actually amazing because all they read is, you know, news and all the bad stuff and watch Quentin Tarantino movies. So, they don’t believe me when I tell them that Americans are fantastic,” says Fjeldberg.

They also think it would be fantastic if the World Cup helps soccer grow in the U.S, “I hope, it opened the eyes to some people about how big the sport is globally, because I think that’s, a little, you know, neglected here, maybe. How how big it actually is. Hopefully it brings, you know, the kids, maybe they want to play soccer now,” says Fjeldberg.

Click here to follow the original article.

Bradley Davis

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Water Wise Demonstration Garden maintained by Colorado Springs Utilities won a top national award for its leading example of how to grow a beautiful native landscape in an arid desert climate.

It won the “Garden Excellence Award” from The American Public Garden Association, the group’s top national award.

The local demonstration garden is packed with native plant species and stays green all summer long with one watering per week for the majority of the flora. It features model landscaped plots for homeowners to see all the different ways they can landscape their front yards with native and water-friendly plants.

The garden is open to the public for self-guided tours. Staff is on site from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to answer questions.

The public is invited to celebrate the garden’s national achievement on August 1 for “Coffee and Conservation” at 8 a.m. for cake and a free tour.

Click here to follow the original article.

Michael Logerwell

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) – Soon, out-of-town visitors will need to open up their wallets to park at Monument Lake.

In a 5-to-1 vote at Monday night’s Monument Town Council Meeting, the town took the next step forward for putting paid parking in place at the popular lake.

Non-Monument residents will now have to pay $5.25 to park in the Monument Lake and overflow parking lots. Town residents will be eligible for a $50 annual parking pass. That parking pass for residents won’t guarantee them a parking spot at the lake.

When asked about their reaction to the news, multiple Colorado Springs fishermen said they wouldn’t come to the lake as often or at all.

“I wouldn’t stop coming here, but I wouldn’t come as often as I do now,” Royce Bruggeman said.

He even expressed concern on behalf of people living nearby.

“I imagine if I had a house over here and someone parked there because they can’t park [in the parking lots], that would be a bother to me,” Bruggeman added.

That’s a concern shared by many residents the last time the paid parking issue came up in May.

The city says they’ve taken steps to make sure people don’t take their parking elsewhere, like putting in boulders and no-parking signs along Mitchell Avenue, which runs near the lake. However, those same signs aren’t seen in the neighborhoods near the lake.

Overall, the city expects roughly $25,000 to $60,000 in new revenue, which won’t exactly lead to a renewed investment at the lake.

“I don’t believe that covers our maintenance costs at all,” Town Manager Madeline VanDenHoek said.

Town leaders instead focused the new plan on reducing congestion and improving access for emergency crews.

Now that the ordinance and resolution have passed, the town says they will be moving forward with installing parking kiosks at the lake. No specific start date was mentioned at the meeting.

Click here to follow the original article.

Rob Namnoum

Former Pine Creek pitcher Riley Cornelio will be playing in his home state for the next three days. As the Washington Nationals will begin a three game series with the Colorado Rockies. Cornelio is a rookie pitcher for the Nationals. “I was just here for All Star Break, so I got to spend some time here with my family and stuff and, have them reaching out. Obviously they’re coming, and so it’s been great.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Mackenzie Stafford

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – On July 18, 2026, at approximately 10:05 a.m. Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) officers responded to Sand Mountain Point for a hit-and-run traffic collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, the department says.

Officers say the driver fled the scene before they got there. Police later identified the driver as 85-year-old Donald Laughlin.

According to arrest records obtained by KRDO13, Laughlin is accused of intentionally hitting his neighbor following an altercation over a parked vehicle.

Officers located the victim, who was transported to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. On Monday, KRDO13 spoke with the victim, who said his spine was shattered from the incident.

The victim tells KRDO13 that he was out walking his dog when it happened. He recounted feeling as though he was going to die in that instant. He said he saw the truck coming at him and worried for his and his dog’s safety. His dog was not harmed.

The victim said he broke his spine in multiple places. He says he has a long road to recovery ahead, one that is much more difficult due to another accident he was in two years prior. He says in that instance, he broke more than a dozen bones. He was just healing from that when this occurred.

CSPD says officers conducted an on-scene investigation, collecting evidence and obtaining witness statements. According to arrest records, witnesses told police they saw a man in a truck speed around a roundabout, hit a man and send him flying onto the sidewalk.

Police say the parking dispute began when the victim’s sister parked in front of Laughlin’s garage. Laughlin was still able to get out, but he reportedly cursed out the family as he backed out of the driveway before allegedly hitting the victim with his truck.

The victim’s family tells KRDO13 they had to park there to bring their elderly mother into her home, and that Laughlin still had room to get out.

Based on the information gathered, officers determined the incident was an assault and adjusted their investigative approach accordingly, reports CSPD.

During the investigation, police say Laughlin arrived at the police station, where officers took him into custody on assault related charges.

Police said Laughlin did not give a statement in person, but he called 911 after the crash and told the dispatcher he had “bumped” his neighbor and that his neighbor might be hurt because he was on the ground when he left.

Laughlin is currently being held in the El Paso County Jail and faces a first-degree assault charge.

Click here to follow the original article.

Scott Harrison

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — An improvement project that began last October and is scheduled to end this October has entered a phase that will allow only local traffic and those with official business in the area.

The $8 million project covers a half mile of Beacon Lite Road, just north of the Monument town limits, between Wakonda Way and Bricker Road.

Limiting traffic is necessary because the county is installing a stormwater sewer and Monument is installing a water line.

“These lines will essentially go right down the middle of the road,” said Joshua Palmer, the county’s chief engineer. “We’re not going to be closing all of Beacon Light at any one time. It’s going to be done in segments. Not in every case, but in most cases, driveway to driveway.”

So far, crews have removed many trees along the road and are building a road segment that will straighten out the sharpest of several bends.

“We’re straightening out portions of the road, and we’re also lowering, and I’ll say flattening out, for lack of a better term,” Palmer explained. “But we’re making vertical and horizontal corrections. So, any time that impacts a parcel’s access, we’re making sure that the correct transition is done to make sure that those people still have safe and reliable access to their properties.”

The county had to acquire some private property and easements for the project to proceed.

Sales tax revenue from the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority is funding the project.

For detour information, visit: https://publicworks.elpasoco.com/beacon-lite-road-project/

Click here to follow the original article.

Mackenzie Stafford

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) – Greg Haas, an EMT and firefighter medic with 26 years of experience, is currently responding to the intense “Aspen Acres” fire. Here, he has served in multiple roles and is grappling with the physical and emotional toll the fire takes.

Haas emphasized the demanding nature of wildfire response, noting the diverse medical incidents encountered, from scorpion stings to more serious illnesses. He says he initially served as a night medical unit leader on the “Aspen Acres” fire.

He staffed the medical unit and coordinated medical responses for incidents on the fire line and within the camp itself.

After his initial role, Haas was deployed to the fire line due to a ‘critical need’. He supported falling operations south of Beulah, using his background in sawing activities to help clear roads. He says being out on the front lines, he can help to immediately respond to injuries that crews may face.

“Firefighters are my family and that’s a big deal for me,” said Haas. “So that’s actually where I really think that’s the biggest influence in keeping me in the medical field is care about these people. It’s a really small, tight-knit community.”

The medic explained that once committed, the profession is difficult to leave. He says you really have to have a heart to be out in the field fighting fires.

“Fire gets in your blood,” Haas said. “It’s it’s, a passion. You know, it takes a certain type to do this, but once you get into that family and into that group and into that environment, it grabs hold. And it’s it doesn’t let go.”

Haas explained that the Aspen Acres fire has been particularly challenging.

“The fire dynamics on this one were incredibly intense. You know, we see a lot of fire, but people who have been here 40, 50 years are saying they’ve never seen fire behavior like this,” explained Haas.

The fire is also making its way into more treacherous territory, according to fire officials. When trying to respond to those areas on the front lines, Haas explained it’s no light load they hold on to.

Haas says his medical pack alone weighs about 40 pounds. With water and lunch, his pack can reach 55 pounds. Additionally, he says medics often carry a large rescue stretcher, adding another 20 pounds, bringing their total load to between 50 and 70 pounds.

“There’s a lot of weight on our medics, they carry a burden I don’t think most people recognize,” Haas said.

Haas also shared how difficult it’s been in this specific response after recently losing a friend who was a firefighter. He received the news while walking into an operations meeting for the “Aspen Acres” fire.

“Timing was rough. You know, you find out walking into an operations meeting is when I found out that I had lost a friend. Shock. You know how that is? That initial shock, you know, like, wow. Did this really happen?” recounted Haas.

He explained how his friend always had a smile and a positive attitude. He said his friend loved firefighting, and they had met when doing sawing operations in Montana.

The loss of a colleague deeply impacts the firefighting community, Haas shared.

“It’s a really tight-knit community in the fire world,” Haas explained. “So when we have a loss, we take it really hard. And you don’t have to be best friends with these people to take it that way. You know, we lost a pilot here recently a K-MAX that went down on one of the nearby fires. Just as devastating,” shared Haas.

He says the emotional toll also extends to witnessing the destruction of homes.

“You see crews running out with big, serious faces, but you don’t see the tears,” Haas stated. “They cry when that house burned, the one that they tried to save. So I think that’s the biggest message I’d like to see people see is understand these people care, you know, whether we succeed or not.”

The community’s support has been a significant factor, with residents offering donations, displaying signs of gratitude, and stopping firefighters to thank them and offer to pay for their meals, shared Haas

He recounted an instance where two young girls gave him an Otter Pop and thanked him for his work, even though he was unsure of whether their own home had survived.

“It’s been an incredible interaction with the community itself, especially given the loss that they’ve had,” Haas said.

A lot of work remains to be done on the “Aspen Acres”” fire. Firefighters will continue to engage the fire in tough and dangerous terrain until it is 100% contained.

Click here to follow the original article.