Tensions high at El Paso County courthouse shooter hearing
A court hearing Thursday involving the man accused of murdering William Winters in front of the El Paso County Courthouse almost sparked more violence as the friends and family of the defendant and the victim were leaving the courtroom.
Shaquille Brown, 29, was arrested outside the courthouse when he allegedly shot and killed 28-year-old William Winters on Nov. 16.
In an arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette, Brown was identified by building video surveillance and by eyewitnesses as the shooter. Brown told police that he shot and killed Winters. He told investigators he had felt threatened by Winters since earlier in 2023 when Winters allegedly assaulted Brown at a bar in downtown Colorado Springs causing injuries that he said required surgery.
The court hearing Thursday was for Judge Jill Brady to advise Brown about an upcoming competency evaluation and to see if he is mentally fit to continue with legal proceedings. However, the judge said Brown would not be appearing in court as planned.
“He was brought over with the van, but he was acting up and cursing,” Brady informed the courtroom, which included more than a dozen friends and family of both Brown and Winters.
After conferring with both attorneys, the judge rescheduled the hearing for Monday.
Brady said the competency evaluation would likely delay court proceedings by several weeks.
As the dozens of people in the court gallery left the courtroom some words were exchanged between the two groups. The verbal altercation picked up in tone and number of people involved, culminating in several El Paso County deputies intervening to hold the peace and ensure the two groups exited the courthouse in an orderly manner.
The confrontation was all the more striking because it took place so close to the scene of the shooting. A makeshift memorial to Winters still sits outside the courthouse main entrance, close to the spot of his death.
Brown is currently being held at the El Paso County jail on a $1 million bond.
Shaquille Brown, 29.
Flowers, candles and photos sit outside the El Paso County Judicial Building in downtown Colorado Springs, commemorating 28-year-old William Winters who was shot and killed as he exited the building on Nov. 16.
