A witness described the fatal stabbing at Springs Rescue Mission as a ‘prison-style shanking,’ according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Gazette.

Rocky West, 33, is facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly killing Isaiah Curtis Plair, 25, Sunday afternoon at the shelter, which is Colorado Springs’ largest homeless shelter, located south of downtown.

The witness told police he saw the suspect stab Plair around 15 times in 15 seconds. That witness said the attack was in retaliation for someone beating the suspect’s sister. That witness also told investigators that he saw the suspect walk toward the front of the shelter with a proud look on his face as he tore his shirt off after the stabbing.

Shelter staff and residents at 5 W. Las Vegas St, was left shaken from the first murder the campus had in its nearly 30 years at the location.

Stabbing death at Springs Rescue Mission leaves shelter 'profoundly shaken'

Two other witnesses told police that they saw the stabbing, which was said to be done with about a four-inch-sized folding knife, according to the affidavit. 

West, who is stated as a registered client at the shelter in the affidavit, was almost immediately apprehended by security guards and then turned over to police. 

A security guard told police that he saw West walking down a hallway shirtless with what appeared to be blood on his right hand and forearm, and he stated that he did not do ‘it’ after being asked what happened. 

The detective in the affidavit added they saw what appeared to be blood on West’s hands, shoes and pants and a small laceration on the blade portion of his right hand after he was arrested.

20-year-old arrested after multiple stabbings, death in Colorado Springs

West is being held at El Paso County jail. His first court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday next week at 8:30 a.m.

The homicide was the 24th in Colorado Springs this year. There were 17 at this time last year. Last year, homicides of people who were homeless at the time of their deaths decreased to four, after spiking in 2022 with 11 homicides, with several at the hands of other people who also were homeless.

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