Jul 17, 2007 11:51 am US/Mountain
Colorado Capitol Building Reopens To Public
Man Shot By State Trooper At Capitol Identified
Gunman's Mother Told Police Her Son Was 'Delusional'
Associated Press writers Steven K. Paulson, Don Mitchell, Sandy Shore and Colleen Slevin and AP photographer David Zalubowski contributed to this report.
DENVER (AP/CBS4) ―
Somber state employees reported for work at the state Capitol Tuesday, a day after an armed man who said he was "the emperor" was shot and killed outside the governor's office.
Under the watchful eyes of state troopers and Capitol guards, workers filed into the building's lower-level north door and through a single metal detector installed Monday evening after the shooting.
Ritter's spokesman issued a statement Tuesday morning saying only the north doors off of Colfax into the street level basement of the Capitol would open at 7:30 a.m. The release said people entering would have to pass through metal detectors.
Metal detectors had been put in place at the Capitol after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks but were removed the following summer. Lawmakers, who often call the Capitol "the people's building," said at the time they did not want to make it hard for the public to visit.
Gov. Bill Ritter, who was in his office at the time of the shooting but was not injured, said officials would review whether and how Capitol security should be changed.
"We live in a country where there is just that constant tension about security versus openness," he said.
The gunman was shot at about 2 p.m. Monday by a state trooper in Ritter's security detail.
The man said before he was shot, "I am the emperor and I'm here to take over state government," said Evan Dreyer, the governor's spokesman.
The Rocky Mountain News reported the man is Aaron Snyder, 32, of Thornton.
He was wearing a dark suit some described as a tuxedo. About three hours earlier, a man with a gun and knife in his pockets had gone into a suburban Northglenn shop and rented a tuxedo, saying it was "the day of the emperor's reign."
Northglenn police said it may have been the same man. They also said in a statement that family members and an employer told investigators the man at the store was possibly delusional.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger confirmed Tuesday morning that the mother of Aaron Snyder has told police that her son had a history of being diagnosed as delusional and "was under doctor's care."
Snyder had been working as an intern in the Research and Development area at Advanced Energy, a power and control technologies company in Fort Collins.
The company issued a statement saying he started work there on May 14, 2007.
"Our condolences go to Aaron's family and to all those who have been impacted by this tragic event," the company statement said. Out of respect for Aaron's family - and in light of the ongoing police investigation - any information we have on Aaron has been provided to the authorities. We will allow them to decide what information, if any, they choose to make public."
Denver officers conducted a search late Monday at a home of a couple believed to be the suspect's parents. Investigators said they knew the man's name but did not release it.
Property records listed the owners as Richard and Kathie Snyder.
Tuesday, officers remained on guard at the home, a neatly kept brick and wood structure with a three-car garage.
The man had walked into the reception area of Ritter's first-floor office and was being escorted out before he produced a gun and refused orders to put it down, police spokesman Sonny Jackson said. Four or five shots were heard, but authorities would not say how many times the patrolman fired.
The Rocky identified the trooper who fired as Jay Hemphill, 35, and an 11 year veteran of the state patrol. He spent 8 years as the driver for former First Lady Frances Owens and her family.
The gunman did not fire his weapon, Jackson said, declining to say if it was loaded.
Jackson said Tuesday investigators had not released any information about the caliber or make of the man's gun, or who owned it.
An autopsy was planned later Tuesday. Chief Deputy Coroner Michelle Weiss-Samaras said it could take about two weeks to get the results of some tests.
Ritter said he was in the office with 10 or 11 other people and heard shots, but he would not say how close he was to the gunman. He said some of his staff members witnessed the shooting.
Tobie Locke, a bridal manager at the Mister Neat's shop in Northglenn, said a man came in around 10 a.m. asking to rent a tuxedo and said, when asked about the occasion, "Today's the day of the emperor's reign."
After renting the tux, the man did not say where he was going.
"He was very nervous and sweating a lot and breathing very heavy," Locke said. "I had the impression he was going to hurt somebody."
Authorities said there had been no specific threats against the governor before Monday's shooting, which reinvigorated a debate about metal detectors at the Capitol.
State Rep. Jim Kerr, one of the first people to pass through the newly installed metal detector on Tuesday, said the State Patrol had done "a wonderful job" and argued the detector should be temporary.
"This is the people's building. However, if we have another incident like this, I don't think we'll have a choice. We'll have to make it permanent," he said.
State Rep. Edward Casso, who said he saw the gunman's body after the shooting, said he believes the Capitol should have metal detectors.
"It's kind of freaky someone could get that close," Casso said.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
