A 34-year-old man died after being shot early Sunday in south Thornton, and police arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of murder before releasing him later that morning pending charges and further investigation.
Thornton officers were called to the 9700 block of Ogden Court just after 3 a.m. Sunday, after a witness phoned 911 to report someone trying to break into a vehicle and shots being fired. When officers arrived, they found the wounded man lying near a crashed truck.
Investigators believe the man was breaking into vehicles and tried to leave the area in the truck after he was shot. They said the truck then collided with several parked cars before coming to rest.
Paramedics took the 34-year-old to the hospital, where he later died. Police said they do not believe the victim and the suspect knew each other, and the case remains under investigation.
The release of the 23-year-old later Sunday leaves one question for investigators to answer cleanly: whether the shooting was a direct response to the break-in attempt or something more than the first calls described. That distinction will shape any charge that follows, and it is now the center of the homicide probe in south Thornton.
