An armed man reportedly ended his own life rather than carry out a plan to shoot up an amusement park in Colorado on Saturday.
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Diego Barajas Medina,20, was found dead in a women’s restroom at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park by maintenance workers early that morning before the park opened its doors to the public. Police said the young man had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and the words, “I am not a killer,” were written on the bathroom wall when his body was found. According to the Associated Post, Medina entered the park while it was closed and armed with an AR-style rifle, a semi-automatic handgun, and explosives. He also wore body armor and tactical gear similar to what a SWAT team member would wear.
Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario noted that the explosive devices found near Medina’s body were real or fake, and the AR-style rifle was on the bathroom counter with a duty belt containing multiple ammunition magazines.
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However, Vallerio did not confirm if Medina wrote the message in the bathroom, and there were no prior warnings about his planned attack. The FBI plans to look into his phone records and social media postings, but investigators have conducted no interviews. Medina’s body was removed from the amusement park on Sunday, and investigators searched for more explosives around the park, but none were found.
The young man resided in Carbondale and lived with his mother and brother. A local newspaper said he graduated from high school in 2021 and planned to work for a year after graduation. He also attended Colorado Mountain College. Police also searched his home and found no weapons but said he had no prior criminal record or encounters with officers. Some of the weapons, including grenades, were fake, and the ghost guns he had didn’t have a serial number.
“Given the preparation, given the amount of weapons and ordinance he had, it almost seemed very highly likely he intended to use those against the community. He chose not to.”
Police said that Medina most likely took the service road, and no employees were at the park when he arrived. His body was reportedly found outside of restricted areas where the rides are located.