Heavily-armed man kills himself, rather than shoot up Colorado amusement park, authorities say

A heavily armed man killed himself rather than carry out an apparent plan to shoot up a mountaintop amusement park in Colorado, authorities said Monday.

A maintenance crew found the 20-year-old man dead in a bathroom at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park on Saturday morning before it opened to the public. The man, identified by the Garfield County Coroner's Office as Diego Barajas Medina, died of a single gunshot wound to the head.

Medina was armed with an AR-style rifle, a semi-automatic handgun and explosives and was wearing body armor and tactical clothing, similar to what a police SWAT team member might wear, authorities said.

A message saying, “I am not a killer, I just want to get into the caves,” was written on a wall of the women’s bathroom where the man was found lying on the floor, according to Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario. Nearby, officers found a handgun and explosive devices, some real and some fake, he added.

The AR rifle was on a counter nearby, along with a duty belt holding several ammunition magazines, authorities added.

Vallario could not say for certain that the suspect left the message.

The FBI and multiple authorities have joined the Garfield County Sheriff's Office in investigating the case.  

Officials said Medina made an unauthorized entry to the premises after park hours. 

Authorities said Medina was dressed in black tactical clothing, bearing patches and emblems that gave the appearance of being associated with law enforcement. He was armed with a semi-automatic rifle and semi-automatic handgun, as well as multiple loaded magazines for both weapons, police said.

He wore a body armor and what appeared to be a ballistic helmet. Additionally, multiple improvised explosive devices were discovered with the suspect and in a vehicle associated with him, authorities added.

“While this investigation is still ongoing and very active it is important to realize that given the amount of weaponry, ammunition, and explosive devices found, the suspect could have implemented an attack of devastating proportions upon our community and first responders,” the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The discoveries prompted the sheriff’s office to call for the assistance of the Grand Junction Bomb Squad. Additionally, the Garfield County All Hazard Response Team was called to complete a sweep of the park to ensure no other IEDs were planted around the park or rides. The FBI also provided assistance, the release said.

The sheriff’s office said the first two days of the investigation were carried out in a “slow, methodical manner.” Authorities said they prioritized the safety of the public, bomb disposal personnel, law enforcement and other first responders, as well as made sure the Caverns are safe to reopen.

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, which has been recognized as the best amusement park in Colorado, is home to the highest-elevation looping roller coaster in the United States. In 2021, $68,000 in fines were levied against the park, where a 6-year-old Colorado Springs girl was killed on one of the rides over that Labor Day weekend.

Editor's note: This is a developing story.