Carnage was likely narrowly averted at an amusement park in Colorado, where a heavily armed man armed with explosives likely chose to kill himself rather than go on a killing spree.
Employees at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs were shocked when they discovered the body of a 22-year-old man in the women’s restroom Saturday morning.
“The suspect was heavily armed with a semi-automatic rifle and a semi-automatic pistol, as well as multiple magazines for each weapon. “He was wearing a bulletproof vest and what appeared to be a ballistic helmet,” the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said Monday, adding that the suspect also wore clothing and emblems that made him look like a military member.
In addition to these weapons, the man had explosives on him, on his person and in his vehicle. Some of the devices discovered turned out to be fake, others were real, Sheriff Lou Vallario said at a press conference.
“Given the amount of weapons, ammunition and explosives recovered, the suspect may have carried out an attack of devastating proportions on our community and first responders. […] We were very fortunate that he didn’t go through with his plan,” said Sheriff Vallario.
The latter, stunned, pointed out that “there are many more things we don’t know than things we do know.”
In all likelihood, the suspect entered the amusement park at night when no visitors or employees were present. However, at some point during the night, the man decided to commit suicide in the toilet.
Investigators found the inscription “I am not a murderer. I just wanted to go into the basement.” However, they could not confirm that these writings were actually the work of the suspect.
The discovery of the suspect’s body came just days after the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, in which a man shot and killed 18 citizens before taking his own life.