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Arrest Made In Northern Colorado, Linked To 2015 Shootings

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - One person has been arrested in connection to at least two of the six unsolved random shootings in Northern Colorado in 2015.

The Northern Colorado Shootings Task Force which has been investigating the shootings -- two of which were deadly -- has scheduled a news conference for Thursday to discuss what they say is their most significant update in the cases to date.

Christopher Parker, 35, was arrested on Tuesday and is in jail facing charges of first degree murder and attempted first degree murder.

Christopher David Parker MUG copy
Christopher David Parker (credit: Larimer County)

The offenses for both those crimes took place on June 3, 2015, according to authorities. That's the date 65-year-old William Connole was shot from behind while walking near his home in Loveland. The same night someone also fired on a motorcyclist in Loveland but that person was not hit.

A Larimer County sheriff's department spokesperson wouldn't comment directly on the arrests on Wednesday.

Cori Romero I-25 shooting victim
Cori Romero gives a thumbs up from her hospital room after being shot in the neck (credit: Lesley Quezada)

The series of random attacks began on the night of April 22, 2015, when Cori Romero, 20, was shot in the neck inside her vehicle as she was driving eastbound on Harmony Road and entering the on ramp for Interstate 25 South in Fort Collins. Romero was treated for injuries at the Medical Center of the Rockies and underwent surgery. She survived her injuries.

John Jacoby
John Jacoby (credit: marksfuneralservice.com)

A second random attack happened nearly one month later, on May 18, around 10:15 p.m. John Jacoby, 47, was riding his bike on Weld County Road 15 north of Windsor when he was shot twice and died at the scene. Jacoby was well-known to people in Windsor, where he lived and worked, and frequented community events. Investigators say both Romero and Jacoby were shot by an unknown assailant. Their shootings were linked by unspecified forensic evidence.

Shooting in Windsor

Another shooting under the task force's investigation happened on June 3 in Loveland. A man on a motorcycle told police he was shot at while riding through the intersection of Denver Drive and East 18th Street. The man was not hurt, and did not initially report the incident to police. Later that same night and about two miles away, Connole was shot at East 1st Street near St. Louis Avenue.

william connole
William Connole (credit: Connole Family)

Connole died of his injuries.

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