A man 29-year-old man remains in custody after being arrested Friday for shooting a handgun near the Roaring Fork River confluence in Glenwood Springs.
David Sexton was arrested at gunpoint around 4:30 p.m. Friday after reports of eight to 12 gunshots, in an area just a short walk from the Glenwood Police Department, Garfield County Courthouse and Sheriff’s Office.
Sexton has been charged with misdemeanor crimes after the incident, including carrying a concealed weapon and reckless endangerment.
According to an arrest affidavit, officers arrived at the area just north of the Farnum Holt Funeral Home, and encountered Sexton and another man walking south on the railroad connection toward the Seventh Street overpass.
Both men dropped what they were carrying and raised their hands when officers commanded them to. Sexton’s companion had a backpack, and a dog on a leash, according to the arrest report.
Sexton called out that he had a pistol in his pocket. Glenwood Springs Police officers handcuffed both men, and found a 9mm handgun that was “completely concealed in the pocket of his shorts.”
Sexton said they had been “shooting at a dirt pile,” according to the affidavit. The other man said that Sexton was the only person shooting. In court Monday, Sexton’s attorney indicated that the gun belonged to his friend.
Officers later found 11 shell casings in the dirt between the unused railroad side tracks and the current Union Pacific main line tracks.
Sexton also had a protective order for a pending misdemeanor harassment charge that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.
The other man had been carrying a backpack with more ammunition in it, but he claimed he did not fire the weapon, according to the affidavit.
Officers confirmed that no one was hurt by the gunfire, but noted that it would be difficult to estimate how many cyclists, walkers and other members of the public were on the River Trail and in the general vicinity at the time the shots were fired.
“(There) was no embankment or obstacle that would have stopped a bullet from striking a pedestrian or continuing across the Roaring Fork River to a densely populated residential neighborhood,” the officer added.
During an advisement hearing, Sexton said it was a misunderstanding, and that he feels bad about the incident. “It wasn’t my idea, man,” he said.
Public defender Kevin Donnelly indicated that the gun belonged to Sexton’s companion, and that if the allegations in the affidavit are true, it is mostly an error in judgement.
Prosecutor Tony Hershey with the 9th District Attorney’s Office said that firing a weapon within the city limits simply was not acceptable.
“That’s not a safe thing to do. You only have to drive a mile, mile and a half out of town” to access public lands or a gun range,” Hershey said.
As of Monday afternoon, Sexton was still in custody in the Garfield County Jail and being held on $2,000 bond.
