Colette Bordelon is a reporter with Denver7.
BOULDER, Colo. — Friday marks three years since the mass shooting at a Boulder King Soopers where 10 people were killed.
“Really, really fun. Really easygoing. And she was the best. She was just such a wonderful person," Mackenzie said, describing her mom. “I would say that right now, it does feel like three years, but at the same time, I'm also so shocked that it's been three years. Because yeah, I mean, a lot has happened, but I could go back there like it was yesterday.”
“I don't even know if the court process is going to give me closure because I've had to kind of find that within myself," said Mackenzie. “Their lives deserve to be remembered, and that's what's helped me get through this loss and this event, and I just think they deserve that.”Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty knows how painful the delays have been for the victim's families.
A spokesperson with the state hospital provided Denver7 with background about how competency evaluations work and why the system can be lengthy. According to those with the state, delays commonly occur when a defendant is ordered for restoration treatment at an inpatient location, which includes jail-based settings, private hospitals, and the two state hospitals.
"Individuals do not have to be admitted to the state hospital in order to receive an evaluation, unless the court orders it, which is extremely rare," Jordan Saenz, the communications manager for OCFMH, wrote in an email. Many cases are delayed because of the restoration process, not the evaluation process, according to Saenz.
The Mental Health Diversion Program in Boulder was the first in the state, Dougherty said. The program diverts low-level offenders out of jail and connects them with treatment. Two other districts are in the early stages of implementation. One of them is Boulder, where Dougherty said they are exploring the concept. Recently, a few of their judges went to Larimer County to see their competency court. Dougherty said they are starting to work on bringing a competency court to Boulder.
Denver's competency court is in district court, but McCann said their county court is getting ready to launch a competency court this summer.“It depends on the nature of the crime. We have criteria for people to be admitted into competency diversion. So we're not taking, you know, violent, dangerous people. These are people who just cycle in and out of our court system for very minor offenses, clearly mentally ill, and people who need that kind of support.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Delays in state grants leave Colorado addiction treatment providers struggling to stay openRacquel Garcia, CEO of HardBeauty, said the organization’s bank account got down to about $700 at one point — a hair’s width from forcing the peer mentoring group to close its doors altogethe…
Read more »
Judge delays case against Colorado funeral home owners accused of 190 counts of corpse abuseThe delay Thursday angered some families of the deceased who are eager to have the case resolved. Jon and Carie Hallford are accused of falsifying death certificates and sending fake ashes to griev…
Read more »
Judge delays case against Colorado funeral home owners accused of 190 counts of corpse abuseA judge has granted a defense request to delay the criminal case of two Colorado funeral home operators accused of letting nearly 200 corpses decay in a decrepit building in some cases for years.
Read more »
Colorado lawmakers propose plan after half of Colorado’s waters lost federal protectionsColorado lawmakers are pursuing legislation to safeguard some of the state’s most fragile waterways from pollution after a U.S. Supreme Court decision rolled back federal protections.
Read more »
752 Colorado veterans placed in permanent housing in 2023, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System saysSydney Isenberg is an Emmy-nominated digital content producer with Denver7 (KMGH) in Denver, Colorado. She began her career in Bakersfield, California, after graduating from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in 2018.
Read more »
As the VA celebrates processing 1 million benefit claims, a Colorado veteran has concernsDevan Karp is a Multimedia Journalist for KOAA News5 in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colorado.
Read more »