A Wednesday afternoon in February 2021 shattered Oak Creek, Colorado, when a shooting spree ended the life of 24-year-old Dustyn River James. The violence began when 46-year-old Steven Padilla shot and injured a man at a residence on East Highland Street, then drove a few blocks to a mobile home park on Wild Hogg Drive.

Outside unit 37 Padilla opened fire and forced his way inside. He attempted to shoot another man but the handgun malfunctioned; as that man tackled him, Padilla fired, fatally wounding Dustyn James and injuring a woman in the home. Another man in the residence retrieved a firearm and shot Padilla, who was killed at the scene.

Investigators from the Oak Creek Police Department, the Routt County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation handled the case. Padilla had prior domestic violence charges and had been released on personal recognizance bonds in the months before the shooting. If anyone knew Dustyn James or has information about the events that day, please share what you know.