King has no clothes or possessions with him, so first, he will have to get to his condo to get some warm clothing and other essentials. He also wants to get his passport and some business files. He hopes he will be able to conduct some business by phone while Lisa runs the office. King believes the police must not have gotten all the forensic evidence analyzed yet. Because once they do, they will realize only Cooper could have been the shooter.
It is now dark as King drives from Castle Pines to Lone Tree. As he gets closer to his condo complex, he carefully scans the area looking for the police or anyone who might look like an undercover officer. Seeing no one as he approaches, he pulls into the parking lot adjacent to his building and parks his car. He sits in the car for a few moments looking around. Seeing nothing suspicious, King decides it is safe to enter his condo to pack his things. He figures he will only need ten or fifteen minutes at the most to pack what he wants to take.
King carefully exits his car and briskly walks to his front door. He sees pry marks on the door and frame. The lock is no longer secure, and anyone could enter if they wanted to. King still uses his key to not cause any further damage. King quickly grabs a duffle bag and starts to pack his clothing.
The Lone Tree Police Department has been tasked with regularly checking on King’s condo in the event he might return, and to also provide some security due to the damaged door. They are aware he is now wanted on a murder charge. As King is packing, a Lone Tree officer slowly drives into the parking lot looking for evidence of King’s return. He immediately notices a light is on in King’s condo. The officer then scans the parking lot and spots the white BMW with license plate KCS173. He immediately gets on his radio to report the suspect has returned and requests immediate backup. He also asks dispatch to notify the Castle Rock Police Department.
King continues to pack his belongings for several more minutes. He notices his Ruger revolver is missing. Damn cops, he says to himself. He grabs his toiletries from the bathroom and haphazardly throws the items in his bag. Okay, I think I’ve got everything I need. Once satisfied, King secures the front door as best he can, then starts walking toward his car. He looks up and is shocked to see two Lone Tree police cars blocking the exit from his parking lot. King stops for a moment. He’s not sure what to do.
“Freeze!” King hears.
“Police! Don’t move! Drop the bag and put your hands up!”
King now realizes there are two officers crouched behind parked vehicles about fifty feet away with guns pointed at him. King immediately leaps and spins, dropping his bag and running for his front door.
“Stop! Police!” he hears again as he runs for the door. I’m not going to jail, he keeps telling himself. King reaches the front door and does not bother trying to unlock or open the door. King simply runs toward the door, lowers his left shoulder, and crashes into it as hard as he can. The already damaged frame splinters at the deadbolt and the door goes flying open as King tumbles into his condo. King rolls until he hits the edge of the wall separating his kitchen from the living room. King feels a sharp pain shoot through his left shoulder like an arrow. He thinks he may have broken his collar bone against the door.
King gets up as quickly as possible and shuts the door. He then slides a heavy chair over and pushes it against the door to keep it shut. King falls back against the wall, taking several deep breaths and holding his shoulder. He is not sure what to do next, but he knows he’s not going to jail. After a few moments, King realizes the shouting has stopped and it is quiet. He peeks out the front window and now sees two Lone Tree police cars and one Douglas County Sheriff’s car. The calvary is coming.
It is 7:12 pm when Masters gets a phone call from dispatch. He is told that King has been located at his condo and is currently barricaded inside. Once off the phone, Masters immediately calls Tippen.
“Jane, they’ve found King.”
“Where at?”
“He’s holed up in his condo. Police found him there and tried to arrest him, but he ran back inside. I’ll be over in 10 minutes to pick you up.”
“Alright, I’ll be ready.”
Masters quickly straps on his holster and Smith and Wesson .45 semi-auto pistol, grabs a couple extra magazines of ammunition, throws on a jacket, and heads out the door. He drives lights and siren over to Tippen’s. She is standing outside when he arrives.
Tippen quickly gets in the car and Masters accelerates and heads for the interstate that will take them to Lone Tree. Masters runs with emergency lights and siren the entire way. It takes Masters and Tippen only twelve minutes to get to King’s condo complex sixteen miles away. By the time Masters and Tippen arrive, numerous police officers and Douglas County SWAT team members are on the scene. Evacuations of nearby neighbors have already occurred.
The SWAT Commander approaches Masters and Tippen and fills them in on what has happened thus far. They have been unable to get King to exit his condo. They’ve tried bullhorn and calling him, but he is not responding. Masters asks if he can give it a try.
“Sure, he may respond to you.”
Masters takes the bullhorn and walks closer to the condo, keeping behind cover as best he can.
“Justin,” announces Masters, “this
