Local and federal authorities are investigating the circumstances of the death of a young Hispanic man whose body was found with weapons and explosives over the weekend at an amusement park in Colorado and who, according to investigations, was planning a massacre at that busy place.
Investigators from Garfield County, in western Colorado, indicated this Tuesday that they will interview the young man’s relatives and acquaintances “in depth” today. Likewise, the FBI is analyzing the young man’s cell phone, as well as his messages and interactions on social networks.
During a news conference Monday, Sheriff Lou Vallario identified the young man as Diego Barajas Medina, 20, a resident with his mother and brother of the small town of Carbondale and a 2021 graduate of the local high school. .
Last Saturday morning, Barajas was found dead inside the women’s bathroom at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, a mountaintop amusement park in the city of Glenwood Springs. The medical examiner in charge of the case said the incident was classified as a suicide.
The first investigations indicate that the young man entered the place when the park was closed and using a secondary path not accessible to the public.
According to the sheriff, Barajas was armed with a pistol and a semi-automatic rifle, and with a “large amount” of ammunition and some improvised explosives. Additionally, he had an armored vest and a helmet that “appears” to be bulletproof, and was wearing a uniform similar to that of local police special teams.
After the body was found, the park was closed for two days while local and federal agents searched the place to make sure there were no hidden explosives.
On a wall next to the boy’s body was the inscription “I am not a murderer. I just wanted to enter the caves” (the main attraction of the park).
However, it is clear to authorities that Barajas prepared for an attack.
“Given the preparation, given the amount of weapons and ammunition he had, it seems very likely that he intended to use them against the community. He decided not to do so,” said Vallario, adding that the motivations that led him to do so are unknown at this time. prepare the attack and the reasons for the suicide.
Barajas was working, he planned to attend community college next year, and nothing in his past or his present reveals intentions to commit a massacre. He had no criminal record and had not even had a single interaction with police, the sheriff stressed.
Furthermore, no weapons or explosives were found in his home, nor material related to attacks or shootings.
Despite this, Vallario maintained that “given the amount of weapons, ammunition and explosive devices found,” if the attack had occurred it would have been “an attack of devastating proportions.”
