Justin VallejoThe Independent
A man has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the shooting of a couple walking their dog to the bathroom outside his Colorado home.
Michael R Close, 36, is alleged to have fatally shot Isabella Thallas, 21, and critically injured her boyfriend Darian Simon on 10 June after what prosecutors said was a verbal exchange over their dog defecating.
Mr Simon told police he had given his dog a command to use the bathroom when “a person yelled at him through the ground floor apartment asking if the victim was going to train the dog or just yell at it”, according to a Denver police probable cause statement.
“Both victims had disengaged from Mr Close and were tending to their dog when it is alleged that Mr Close began shooting,” a statement from Denver District Attorney Beth McCann’s office said.
Ms Thallas, who had just celebrated her 21st birthday, died from a gunshot wound while Mr Simon was shot twice and was recovering in hospital.
The dog was unharmed.
“This will be my first day not needing a blood transfusion from all of the blood I’m still losing out of the smaller gunshot wound in my hip/back/flank area,” Mr Simon said in a Facebook post.
“Aside from the physically traumatic wounds I have experienced, I am still most sad about losing my quarantine partner, best friend, & lover.”
The couple had been walking near Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, when they heard yelling from the nearby ground-floor apartment.
Mr Simon said he tried to ignore the yelling until he saw the gun, which he initially thought was a pellet gun before hearing the gunshots.
“In summary, the suspect got into a verbal altercation with the victims related to the victims telling the dog to poop,” according to the police probable cause statement. “The suspect then shot the victims from inside his apartment.”
The specific charges against Mr Close included two counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of criminal attempt to commit murder in the first degree, two counts of assault in the first degree, six counts of using a prohibited large-capacity magazine during the commission of a crime, three counts of possessing a prohibited large-capacity magazine, one count of disorderly conduct, and four counts of a crime of violence.
Ms Thalles was laid to rest on Wednesday.
