Boulder police say they have identified everyone shown in surveillance images and video released after a Halloween party shooting that killed University of Colorado Boulder student Luca Hanlon. Prosecutors are also weighing whether to bring additional charges.
The main suspect, 18-year-old Omar Perez, faces murder and other charges in Hanlon’s death. The 19-year-old was shot during a confrontation at an off-campus party in Boulder’s University Hill neighborhood on Oct. 31.
After Perez was arrested, investigators asked the public to help identify three other people seen in the footage: two men, one wearing an “Art the Clown” shirt and another in a red hoodie, and a female witness. Police spokesperson Dionne Waugh said all the people in the released images have now been identified. It is not clear whether any of them will face charges.
“The investigation is ongoing. When and if there are additional arrests or charges, I will send out a news release,” Waugh said.
Prosecutors successfully argued in court Tuesday that Perez should remain in custody without bond, said Shannon Carbone, a spokesperson for the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. Perez’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2027.
The Colorado Public Defender’s Office declined to comment. The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to a police arrest affidavit, officers first went to a home near Marine Street at about 9:58 p.m. on Halloween after receiving a noise complaint. They issued a nuisance-party citation, and hundreds of people left. About 90 minutes later, officers returned after a report of gunfire.
Witnesses told police Perez was among those who had left, but later returned with six others. The group was asked to leave again. The affidavit says Perez and the others became angry, and a fight broke out in the living room and on the front porch. One witness said Perez appeared to be wearing a SWAT uniform and a “Purge” mask.
A resident put Perez in a headlock, and Perez allegedly pulled out a gun and fired, according to the affidavit. One witness told investigators he heard Perez say, “Oh, I could shoot this place up.”
Hanlon was shot in the neck, while another 19-year-old student was wounded in the leg. Hanlon died the next day at Boulder Community Health. Waugh said she could not provide further information about the second victim because of privacy concerns.
The affidavit says Perez’s sister recognized her brother’s clothing in images released by police and contacted investigators. She then checked the family’s Life360 location-sharing app, which showed Perez arriving at the home around the time of the shooting and traced his route afterward through Westminster, Arvada and Keenesburg before he returned to Thornton.
“The defendant was arrested in Thornton. He is not a CU student and, contrary to some rumors, was not arrested on campus,” Carbone said.
Perez’s sister told investigators that, days before the shooting, he had bought a 10mm Glock illegally “on the street” and posted pictures of it on Instagram. She said he had replaced a revolver he had thrown into bushes after accidentally shooting himself in the calf on Sept. 26.
The affidavit says Perez and the people with him were traveling in a newer red Audi sedan. When his sister got into the car after work, she noticed a “black purge looking mask” on the floor. She also told police that three people were in the vehicle with Perez.
Perez allegedly told his sister that he and his friends had been beaten by four men at a party earlier, according to the affidavit.
Along with murder with extreme indifference, Perez faces charges of first-degree assault and attempted first-degree murder, also with extreme indifference. Carbone said a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole, and that additional charges are likely.
CU Boulder identified Hanlon, who was from Pennsylvania, as a second-year media production student in the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information.
Hanlon’s friend Jack Anderson described him as someone who was always there for others, whether they needed comfort or wanted to celebrate a big moment. “I would say he was who I aspired to be in life. He was that person,” Anderson said.
Anyone with information about the case can contact Boulder police at 303-441-3333 or submit a tip through the department’s evidence portal.
