A Park County resident is in custody and suspected of murder after authorities say he told dispatchers that he shot someone, who died minutes later.

Benjamin Rector, 35, was arrested the night of Nov. 10 after deputies arrived to an area outside the mountain town of Alma and found a man with gunshot wounds, the Park County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

Deputies tried to save the man, identified as 55-year-old Thomas Harker Jr., but he died on scene.

So far, what led up to the shooting is unclear.

Rector was arrested for first-degree murder and is being held at the Park County jail on a no-bond hold. Housing records show he bought a home in Alma back in 2018.

Alma is located in northwestern Park County, about 90 miles from Colorado Springs and 17 miles south of Breckenridge. 

Rector is scheduled for a hearing at the Park County Combined Court in Fairplay on Dec. 1 at 1:15 p.m. to be formally charged.

The Park County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information related to the case to call its tip line at 719-836-4158.