Campus Alert Archive
UCCS

Pre-Dawn Double Homicide in UCCS Dorm: Roommate Kills Two, Flees as Campus Locks Down at 6:20 AM

COshootingemergency notificationhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

At approximately 5:59 AM MST on February 16, 2024, UCCS PD received a call of shots fired from Crestone House in the Alpine Village Apartments. Two people were found dead: 26-year-old Celie Rain Montgomery (non-student) and 24-year-old Samuel Knopp (student). The suspect, Nicholas Jordan, 25, a student and Knopp's roommate, fled the scene. Campus was locked down at 6:20 AM. Jordan was arrested February 19 and later convicted, receiving two consecutive life sentences without parole.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
2
Injured
0
Institution
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Public Masters · CO
~12,000 studentsUCCSAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence · 4 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTmulti-channel
Verified verbatimUCCS February 16th Incident Report and CPR News151 chars
Urgent UCCSAlert: 6:21AM Lockdown! Lock interior doors. Turn out the lights. Move away from sight. Do not open the door. Maintain silence. Evade/Defend
Sent at 6:21 AM MST on February 16, 2024, approximately 22 minutes after the initial call
The 'Evade/Defend' language is a variant of Run-Hide-Fight, used in UCCS's alert protocol
The alert did not specify the nature of the threat, prioritizing speed over detail
UPDATEmulti-channel+49 min
Verified verbatimUCCS February 16th Incident Report148 chars
Urgent UCCSAlert: 7:10AM Lockdown UPDATE NO active shooter, please continue to shelter in place on campus until further notice. Campus closed today.
Sent at 7:10 AM MST, approximately 49 minutes after the initial lockdown alert
Crucially clarified 'NO active shooter' while maintaining shelter-in-place — an important distinction for student anxiety
Campus was closed for the entire day
UPDATEmulti-channel+1h 38m
Verified verbatimUCCS February 16th Incident Report144 chars
UCCSAlert: 7:59AM Only those in Alpine Village shelter in place. We do not want movement in and around these areas. All others may leave campus.
Sent at 7:59 AM MST, narrowing the shelter-in-place to Alpine Village only
Others on campus were allowed to leave, reflecting the localized nature of the threat
The suspect had already fled campus by this time
ALL CLEARmulti-channel+3h 15m
Verified verbatimUCCS February 16th Incident Report124 chars
UCCSAlert: Shelter-in-place has ended. There is no safety concern on campus at this time. Campus remains closed for the day.
The shelter-in-place ended at 9:36 AM MST, approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes after the initial lockdown
Campus remained closed for the entire day despite the all-clear
The suspect Nicholas Jordan was still at large and would not be arrested until February 19
Context

Background

At approximately 5:59 AM MST on February 16, 2024, UCCS PD responded to shots fired at Crestone House in the Alpine Village Apartments. Two people were found dead: Celie Rain Montgomery, 26 (non-student), and Samuel Knopp, 24 (student). CPR News reported that the suspect, Nicholas Jordan, 25, was Knopp's roommate and a UCCS student. He fled before police arrived. Campus was locked down at 6:20 AM with a series of four UCCSAlert messages guiding the campus through lockdown, narrowed shelter-in-place, and eventual all-clear at 9:36 AM. CBS Colorado and KKTV provided breaking coverage. Jordan was arrested February 19 by CSPD. The Colorado Sun reported he was found guilty and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole. A CPR investigation report later examined the university's response to the tragedy.
Analysis

Key Findings

All four verbatim UCCSAlert texts are preserved, showing the evolution from generic lockdown to localized shelter-in-place over 3+ hours
The 7:10 AM update explicitly stating 'NO active shooter' while maintaining shelter-in-place represents a best practice in reducing panic
The suspect was a student who killed his roommate and a visitor — illustrating the intimate nature of many campus homicides
Outcome
Nicholas Jordan was arrested on February 19, 2024, by Colorado Springs PD. He was found guilty and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    February 16th Incident Report (UCCS)
    uccs.edu
  2. News
    Deadly shooting locks down UCCS (CPR News)
    cpr.org
  3. News
    Shooting death at UCCS campus (CBS Colorado)
    cbsnews.com
  4. News
    Nicholas Jordan convicted, sentenced to life (Colorado Sun)
    coloradosun.com
  5. News
    Investigation report on UCCS shooting (CPR News)
    cpr.org
Tags
shootingdouble-homicidedormitorycoloradoroommate-suspectverbatim-alertslife-sentencealpine-villagepre-dawn
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion