Police Looking For Suspect In Fatal Shooting At House Party
THORNTON, Colo. (CBS4) - Police are searching for the suspect who shot and killed a 16-year-old girl at a party in Thornton early Saturday morning.
Signs of celebration littered the street outside of the home on Monaco Way and Krameria Street where the party turned into tragedy.
"(I'm) horrified," said one neighbor. "I mean, this is a great neighborhood. We're all very close together, close-knit community."
Residents of the community known as Riverdale were startled awake at 1:40am Saturday to the sound of gunshots.
"What I thought was a knock at the door was actually the gunshots that tragically killed this young lady," said the neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous.
"I came down here and I saw the body on the ground," said Mark Ricigliano, another neighbor.
The victim, who had not been identified by authorities, was shot in the torso. She was rushed to the hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.
"It's awful. Her life was taken so soon," Ricigliano said. "(She was) just getting started in life. And it's just tragic."
Police said that the gunfire rang out after a fight broke out inside the home.
"All of the sudden, (I heard) 'bang, bang, bang' again," said Ricigliano. "And I said that's gunfire. And I look out the window and I see three or four cars flying up the street here."
The shooter fled the scene before officers arrived.
Police said the suspect was described as a skinny Hispanic male in his late teens or early 20s. He is about 5-foot-06 with dark hair, glasses, and a gold-hoop nose ring. He may be associated with a red sedan.
Additional Information From The Thornton Police Department
Anyone with information is asked to call the Thornton Police tip line at 720-977-5069, or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
