Boulder police arrest suspect in deadly Halloween party shooting

BOULDER, Colo. A suspect wanted in the deadly shooting of a CU Boulder student at a Halloween party over the weekend has been arrested, a spokesperson with Boulder Police Department said in a news release Monday.

Omar Perez, 18, of Thornton, was arrested earlier Monday on first-degree murder extreme indifference and attempted first-degree murder extreme indifference charges, the spokesperson said.

Perez is not a student at the campus, officials said.

Watch Denver7's most story on this shooting in the video below:

Though additional charges are possible for other people involved in the shooting, detectives believe this suspect is the only shooter, the release states.

The fatal shooting happened at around 11:28 p.m. Saturday at a home in the University Hill neighborhood near 7th and Marine streets a home Boulder police had already responded to due to a noise complaint earlier in the day.

Police said several people were cited at the home where hundreds of people had gathered to celebrate the holiday before the party was shut down by police. A smaller group remained inside the home, police said.

Detectives believe a group of individuals later attempted to force their way into the house. Shortly after that scuffle, shots were fired inside the home, striking the two victims, the Boulder PD spokesperson said. The suspects then fled the scene.

An arrest affidavit for Perez obtained by Denver7 later Monday provided more details about that confrontation.

Arresting document show Perez and five other people were kicked out of the home before Perez turned back and "pushed his way back" into the home. A fight then started both inside and outside of the home before the shots rang out.

One of the witnesses interviewed by police described holding Perez in a headlock before shots were fired after Perez allegedly ran toward a friend of the witness. The witness told police he heard a pop that they initially thought was a balloon, before he saw a black pistol later identified by the witness as a Glock 19 and an orange muzzle flash as two more shots were fired.

The witness told police that Perez ran away immediately after those shots were fired, the arrest affidavit states.

Another witness interviewed by police "fired approximately three rounds" and believed Perez "may not have been aiming at anyone in particular and was just shooting into the crowd."

Two 19-year-old men, both CU students, were found by police with gunshot wounds and both were taken to Boulder Community Hospital for treatment. One of the victims later died of his injuries early Sunday, police said. In an update Sunday, police said the second victim was in critical condition. Their current condition is unknown at his time.

A subsequent investigation by police found revealed several 10 milliliter shell casings inside the home where the shooting took place.

Police later obtained probable cause to arrest Perez after a witness showed investigators photos that matched a description of the suspect along with information from a family location sharing app, which showed Perez was in Boulder for a period of about 30 mins., leaving about two minutes after police were called about the shooting.

Police interviewed around 20 witnesses and identified two persons of interest whom they want to question.

One of the people of interest is a man with facial hair and short dark hair, wearing a red hoodie under a black jacket.

The second person of interest also has short, dark hair and was wearing a black t-shirt with an Art the Clown design.

More photos of people police are looking to speak with are below:

Police also released doorbell video showing the people of interest leaving the home and going back inside.

Anyone who recognizes these individuals, attended the party or has information about the shooting is encouraged to contact Boulder Police dispatch at 303-441-3333 and submit photos and videos to them online.

The Boulder County Coroners Office will identify the deceased victim at a later time.

The families of the two victims are requesting privacy and do not wish to speak to the media.

"Our students and families deserve to feel safe in their communities, on campus, and wherever they gather," Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. "I am following the investigation closely and urge anyone with information, photos, or video to come forward and help Boulder Police identify those involved."

This is Boulders first homicide in 2026, according to police.