Who was Gabriel Steven Garcia? 34-year-old Lakewood shooting suspect assaulted a police officer in 2017 and was released on parole just weeks ago

The suspect involved in the deadly shooting of an on-duty Lakewood police agent had a lengthy criminal history, according to a report by CBS News. Gabriel Steven Garcia was out on parole when he shot four police officers and injured a bystander on Thursday (Nov. 5), according to the authorities. Garcia was killed in the gunfire exchanged with the police. He was 34 years old, according to 9News.

Garcia assaulted police officer in 2017

Garcia had a criminal history dating back two decades, with charges including assault, car theft, felony menacing, and others, according to CBS News.


Years before Thursday's shooting, Garcia had attacked a police officer in Adams County, Colorado, in 2017. He had pleaded guilty to the assault on an Adams County deputy, who was saved by his K-9.

Garcia was released two months ago

Garcia was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2019 over the assault case. He was paroled in December 2022, according to 9News. He was later charged with violating that parole, CBS News reported.

More recently, Garcia pleaded guilty to felony trespass of an inhabited dwelling, an incident that occurred in Adams County in 2025. After being sentenced to one year in prison in April of this year, he was released on mandatory parole in September.

Department of Corrections' statement

A spokesperson for the Colorado Department of Corrections said in a statement published by CBS News that Garcia "was released to mandatory parole supervision on September 23, 2026, and was under the supervision of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Division of Adult Parole" at the time of the Lakewood shooting.

"We take this matter extremely seriously and are conducting a thorough internal review of Garcia's supervision. We are also working closely with our law enforcement partners as the investigation continues," the spokesperson added.

Who was the officer killed in the shootout?

The police agent who was killed in the gunfight on Thursday, that took place on board a bus, has been identified as Nick Graham. Three other officers were also injured and underwent treatment. A bystander was also wounded and taken to the hospital.

As of Friday morning, two of the injured officers who were treated at Denver Health had been released, CBS News reported.

Lakewood Police Chief Philip Smith said Graham was known for his "kindness, patience and empathy" by the local community.